


Seabourne Burnouts

by Itawonka



Category: DCU, Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Character Death, DC x MLB AU, F/M, Fluff and Angst, MariBat, Maribat! on Deck, Maridami, Suicide Chapter 20, miraculous x dc, mlb x dc, side character death, suicide warning
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-08
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2020-11-27 19:14:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 23
Words: 196,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20953526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Itawonka/pseuds/Itawonka
Summary: Jaded and unsure, two heroes from opposite sides of the world happen to meet on a ship. With each other's help, the help of their friends, and the help of their families they have to face villains, bullies, and their pasts.





	1. Chapter 1

It started with every student’s dream, a school trip with their friends. No parents, no lectures, just small assignments, and fun itineraries. How did this come about? Three words: Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Despite a fall out with many of her classmates, they were all in agreement that she was a great class president. 

As her friends started to separate themselves she threw herself into her projects. As lonely as it was, she did some of her best work. At 15 years old she was already making designs worn by stars like Jagged Stone, Clara Nightengale, and the slowly rising Kitty Section. However, it was her writing and artwork that got the class a spot on a Wayne Enterprises cruise ship. The prompt was simple enough, “How does your class engage with each other and the community to improve everyone’s quality of life? What are some of the major outcomes?” Really the prompt was meant for those who would soon be graduating their school institutions given how complex some of these service projects have been in past contests. Nevertheless, Marinette saw this as an opportunity to reconnect with her peers as well as take a break from being Ladybug. 

Hawkmoth sent out attack after attack, the next more brutal and time-consuming than the last. Even with the help of the other Miraculous holders, the attacks were exhausting for everyone involved. All of a sudden, there was an eery air of peace that engulfed the entirety of Paris. The Akuma attacks stopped after having day after day of attacks. It was a week into this uncomfortable calm atmosphere, but Marinette decided she needed this. Her friends, if they even consider her a friend anymore, needed this.

She wrote page after page about the variety of events, projects, and activities she and her classmates have done. She wrote about the calming techniques they’ve implemented into the school’s curricular and how it’s not only reduced the number of Akumas originating from her school but has also brought grades up and lowered students' overall stress. She wrote about Damocles being Dark Owl and helping locally with smaller issues so that the fire and police departments could stay focused on bigger things like crimes or a large fire. She wrote about Rose and Juleka working with small children learn how to play and make music with guest appearances from Kitty Section. She wrote about Kim and Ondine teaching kids how to swim and exercise in their spare time at the local pool. She wrote about Adrien convincing his father to allow a small percentage of the profits from one of his photoshoots to be donated to a local homeless shelter. She even wrote about Alya and Lila’s volunteer work at a local daycare taking care of small children. As much as Marinette hated to admit, Lila did well with children. 

Tikki was the one to snap Marinette out of her high after realizing she had written a little over thirty pages. Tikki shook her head, “I know you want to win this, but you have to take a break. You’ve been writing for so long, you didn’t even eat dinner tonight!” 

“Yes Tikki, but I have to make sure this is perfect! They’ve all done so much since Hawkmoth showed up and they deserve to be recognized for it.” 

Tikki sighed, she flew closer to her holder and rubbed one of her temples gently. “I know this year has been hard-”

“I already said it’s not about that.” Tikki raised her brow, challenging Marinette’s statement and Marinette frowned. “Okay, maybe a bit of it is but come on! Not only does this give them some recognition, but me winning this could be just what I need to-”

“To win them over?”

Marinette shook her head, “No. To win them back.” Tikki truly sympathized with Marinette. Lila has only made life more difficult school wise, while not outright bullying Marinette she has broken down a lot of Marinette’s support system. Now her holder sits alone. The few who do still associate with her are either busy or not in her class. Even Adrien, who promised they’d be in this thing together, remained ignorant of Marinette’s issues. Marinette drew a shaky breath before continuing, “I just… I want them to remember I always got their backs. I don’t know what Lila’s been saying to them, but this will prove I’m still me. Their friend.” She rubbed her dry eyes, tired of looking at the document in front of her and minimized it only to reveal a picture of her old friend group as her background. She bit her lip, “It has to, Tikki.” 

A few sleepless nights later she hit send, ultimately letting fate decide what would happen next. With a little luck, they got the results a few weeks later and the class was in shock over what their class president did. They were allowed to go on a cruise ship, free of charge, as a thank you for all the work they’ve done in Paris. The cruise would also be hosting some important key speakers and the children would have access to any of the other conferences already booked on the ship as long as they were respectful. It would tour the European coastline and dock in different countries for the students to explore and shop. They had free reign over their schedules for the most part, but the thing that really excited the class was Bruce Wayne and his family would be making an appearance to personally congratulate the class on their service. 

Marinette suddenly found herself completely surrounded by her classmates. Statements of gratitude and excitement were thrown at her wholeheartedly, she could’ve cried over how much she missed the feeling of being needed and loved. She got that as Ladybug, but she needed it as Marinette. At this moment, she was happy, something she hasn’t felt in a long time. However, one voice broke through the cheers and Marinette could feel her heart drop. 

“Oh, I can’t wait to see the Waynes again! My mother and I met them on a trip when I was younger and I got to meet Bruce’s sons.” The class energy seemed to die down immediately and Marinette missed the warmth she felt for those few moments. The class started to ask questions and Lila became the center of attention as they quickly returned to her side. Marinette was again left alone. 

“Hey Marinette,” she snapped out of her thoughts only to find Adrien at her side. He sighed and gave her an apologetic look, “I know we haven’t talked in a while but I want to thank you for the trip.” Months earlier Marinette could’ve died happy at getting Adrien’s attention, but after being alone for so long she had time to reflect and move past the starstruck girl she once was. “I’m sorry Lila took this from you.” 

Marinette only sighed and shrugged, “I should’ve expected this by now.” 

“Doesn’t mean she’s not wrong.”

“So does that mean you’ll finally talk and out her for her lies?” He looked conflicted and she didn’t have to wait for an answer, instead choosing to shake her head and turn away from the entire scene. “Thanks anyway. I’ll see you on the boat, Adrien.” She texted a few other people about the news. Her parents were proud of their little girl. Luka was excited for her to get a break from her routine, messaging back words of encouragement and praise. Kagami simply just texted back, “I already knew you’d win Mari. Still, congratulations on your victory.”

Marinette should’ve been flying on cloud nine, instead she felt hallow and apprehensive. She left for the bathroom and, after making sure no one else was around, opened her purse to talk to Tikki. “I’ll take to Fu about allowing Luka and Kagami to keep their miraculous in case anything happens. I’ll also see if I can take the horse miraculous in case I need to get back to Paris for an emergency.” 

“Sounds like a good plan, Marinette. But remember that this is also a break from being Ladybug so after talking with Fu I expect you to be in full-on vacation mode. I will not allow one of my Ladybugs to be burnt out so young!” 

Marinette chuckled, “Okay, deal. Now, it’s time to pack!”


	2. Chapter 2

“Are you even packing?” Damian rolled his eyes. He was one of the first to be packed in the manor. It was the only way to avoid Jason’s ritualistic raid throughout the house. Jason soon entered Damian’s room and began rummaging through his closet. He finally looked up and acknowledged the glare Damian was sending him, “What? I need to make sure I didn’t leave anything lying around.”

“You know you wouldn’t have to do this every time we leave somewhere if you just kept your stuff organized and in your room.”

Jason pulled out a small handgun from one of the corners of the closet. He smiled brightly at the weapon, “Aha! I knew you were in here!”

Damian jaw dropped, “Wait, how did that-”

Jason grabbed Damian’s luggage and started to quickly exit the room, “No questions, just packing!” Damian jumped off his bed to try to follow his brother, watching over the main stairway.

Even so, Damian couldn’t do anything about his luggage was thrown unceremoniously down the stairs. “HEY! MY KATANAS ARE IN THERE, TODD!”

Jason just stuck up his middle finger in Damian’s general direction and walked towards a different wing of the manor. “Not my problem, Demon!”

“Ahem.” Damian looked over at Alfred standing next to the large pile of luggage. “Shall I start pushing your things, Master Damian?”

He shook his head and started to make his descent down the stairs, “No, I’ll do it. I assume the car is out front?”

The old man smiled at Bruce’s youngest, “Precisely. Thank you, Master Damian.”

Damian didn’t respond, only choosing to walk near the nearest window and looked out. Pouring rain, grey skies, and a car waiting for the family to pack and take off on this cruise. Damian frowned and leaned his head against the cool glass, “Just a little longer.”

Dick made his way into the main floor with his own bags, “Oh, you packing the car?”

Damian reeled back and failed at trying to make himself look more natural. Dick made a face but thankfully chose to ignore whatever he thought he saw. “I’m packing my bags, you guys are on your own.”

Dick pouted, “Aw, come on Damian! You’re not going to help out your favorite brother?”

Damian remained unimpressed, “One, I don’t have a favorite. Two, you all are infuriating. Three, you have more bags with you than a pop star would have going on the same trip.”

Dick looked over his luggage and scrunched up his nose. Damian had a point, Dick had three full suitcases as well as four different carry-ons. “So I’m prepared! Sue me!” Damian shook his head and made his way over to Dick and his mountain of luggage. Holding his hand out, Damian motioned for Dick to hand him the carry on he currently held in his arms.

“Come on, diva. This is a vacation for all of us, Alfred’s on break too. I’ll pack.” Dick hesitantly handed the bag over and half expected it to be flung across the atrium. Instead, Damian adjusted it over his shoulder and grabbed his own suitcase. Dick wore a neutral expression as Damian headed towards the main entrance, but frowned as soon as Damian was out the room.

“He’s getting worse.” Dick almost jumped out of his skin. “What?”

“Jesus Tim, you need a bell on you or something!” Tim rolled his eyes at his brother’s dramatic antics. He simply took a sip of his coffee and rolled his luggage over with the rest of the pile. “Anyway, what did you say?”

Tim’s expression hardened, “I said he’s getting worse. He won’t admit it, but he’s tired. He hasn’t really yelled at us like he used to, directly insulted us like he used to, or threatened to kill us. Plus, he took your bag.” Dick opened his mouth to interject but Tim continued, “If this was a few weeks ago you know damn well he would’ve told you to shove it. Out of all of us, he really needs this vacation.”

Dick sighed, he didn’t like to think about it but they were all worried about their youngest. He grew more tired as the weeks went on and the fire inside him weakened immensely. Initially, it was just Bruce who was supposed to go on the trip, but considering Damian’s burn out he decided to take all four boys with him. Dick grabbed hold of one of the heavier suitcases, “I hate that you’re right.”

Tim smirked, “Always am.”

“Shut up, Tim.”

“Yeah, can it!” The two looked back to see a disheveled Jason sliding down the stair railings. Jason stumbled as he tried to stick the landing and looked up at his brothers smugly, “Nailed it.”

“Jason, what’s in that bag?”

Jason tensed and turned his body to cover the suitcase in his hands. “What bag?” A muffled ‘Boof’ came from the bag and Jason quickly shushed it. “Oh, you mean this bag! Yeah, I think a tablet is on or something.”

Damian walked back into the manor, shaking some of the raindrops out of his hair, and stared at everyone for a moment before landing on Jason. “What’s in the bag?”

“Nothing!” The bag shuffled, almost making Jason lose his balance and another muffled ‘Boof’ was heard. Everyone stared at Jason, tired of his antics and Jason tapped his foot nervously. “Okay, fine!” Jason set the bag down carefully and began opening the zipper, only for a massive body of fur to tackle him. “Titus, down! We’ve been busted!”

Damian shook his head and grabbed a few more bags. Dick took a few in his own arms, “Come on before he decides to sneak him in a different way.” Titus barked happily and Jason gave him a few pets, mourning over his failed plan.

“It was a good plan…”

Tim put a hand on Jason’s shoulder and cooed, “Oh Jason… No. No, it wasn’t, dumbas-“

“Are you guys going to help your brothers or not?” The two turned to see Bruce making his way over to them, adjusting his collar and cuffs. Bruce glanced over Jason and Titus and frowned, “Did you really think that would work?”

“Come on, we’re Waynes! We could sneak a dog onto our own plane!” Bruce pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.

“Just help your brothers, otherwise we’ll be late getting to Paris.”

Tim perked up, “Oh yeah! I looked into Paris’ heroes like you asked!” Rummaging through one of his bags he pulled out a file and passed it over to him. “It seems like the situation is mostly magic based. No superpowers, no aliens, just magic.” He pulled out a photo, “These two seem to be the leaders and the most seen.”

Bruce looked over the photo and frowned, “They’re young.”

“The leader seems to be the girl, Ladybug. Ladybug and her partner Cat Noir are working to stop a terrorist named Hawkmoth.” He pulled out another, blurry photo of a man with a cane and purple suit surrounded by other heroes on top of the Eiffel Tower, the cat and bug included. “This was taken during their ‘Heroes Day’ parade when Hawkmoth made his first physical appearance in public to fight.”

“What’s that behind him?” Bruce pointed at something big, something vaguely reminiscent of a moth.

Tim shook his head, “That I don’t know.” Bruce nodded and held onto the files before walking towards the car. “Hey! Where’s my ‘Thank you, Tim’?”

“You’ll get one as soon as you pack the car!”

Tim stuck out his tongue, “No respect, I swear.”

“Yeah,” Tim looked down at Jason rummaging through one of Dick’s bags. “No respect. Hey, do you know where Dick keeps his hair spray? I’m gonna steal it and watch him freak out.” Tim deadpanned and grabbed the bag out of Jason’s hands along with a few other items. “Hey!”

“Come on, Red. There’s only a few more bags.”

Jason motioned to the pile that remained on the floor next to him, “A few?!”

“Blame Dick!” Jason huffed and finally took a few outside to the car. “This better be worth it.”

Dick playfully punched Jason’s arm, “Aw, come on! This could be interesting!”

He shook his head and gave his bags to Damian to pack. He shivered and closed his leather jacket in a feeble attempt to protect himself from the elements. Sarcasm was laced heavily in his voice, “Yeah, sitting with a bunch of old politicians and businessmen while Bruce over here mingles is really interesting.”

Tim, smart enough to bring an umbrella for him and Bruce, spoke up. “Don’t forget about the class that won a spot on the ship!”

Damian looked up from packing, “What class?”

Tim handed over Damian his phone, on it he saw pictures of some kids along with a long essay. “They won the trip for all of their service in Paris.” Reaching over, Tim scrolled all the way to the bottom to reveal a mixed-race teen girl who wore pigtails. “Her name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng. She wrote in. Crazy enough, she’s your age.”

Jason peered over Damian’s shoulder and whistled, “She’s cute! Damian, you might actually get some action.”

“JASON!” He flinched and slowly turned to Bruce, “May I remind you that you need to be on your best behavior? All of you. She’s our guest of honor as the winner of the Wayne Enterprise’s Service Award. Around her and her class, you will behave.”

Damian closed out the page and handed the phone over to Tim. “Father, I would like to sit alone when we’re on the plane.” Bruce looked over and nodded. Damian, satisfied, left for more bags.

Dick waited until Damian was out of earshot to say anything, “Hey Bruce-”

“Just give him some time. You all went through this at one point or another.”

“Yeah, we were tired, but never this bad.” Jason leaned against the car, now completely unfazed by the rain as he wore a rare, serious expression. “He’s like a different person. He’s a shell of who he used to be.” He paused before turning to his brothers, “You don’t think he’s going to leave us again, do you? To go live with the monks again?”

There was a heavy silence that filled the air before Bruce finally spoke up. “You forget he’s been fighting longer than any of you. You all had your own hardships, but since he was born Talia had him trained to be the perfect killing machine.”

Jason scoffed, “He’s a fifteen-year-old boy, Bruce.”

“No, he just looks like one. This trip, being around other kids his age-”

“He’s around the Titans.”

“Yes, but I mean normal kids. He needs to have a break to get over this burnout.”

“Which is exactly why you put us on a cruise, isn’t it?” Tim hummed as he thought through the situation, “Out on the sea, you have to stay away from the chaos of the big city. Away from heroes and villains. Away from-”

“Away from being Robin.” They all snapped their heads to Damian. His eyes were dull and he wore a look ambivalence. “I don’t think I’ll go back to the monks. They don’t have what I need.”

Dick hesitantly approached Damian and laid a gentle hand on his shoulder, crouching down and forcing his brother to look him in the eye. “Well, what do you need?”

Damian flinched and pushed past his brother to the car’s truck, placing some of the last bags inside and subsequently slamming it shut. He tossed a few of the smaller bags at Dick who caught it with ease, “Right now I need you to carry this with you in the front. You took up all the space with your glam squad luggage.” Tim and Jason chuckled at the remark and Bruce coughed to keep himself from joining in.

Dick glared at the others, “I like to be prepared!”

“Yeah, yeah prom queen. Let’s get going already. I want to meet this Marinette chick!”

Tim made a face, “Jason, you do realize that you’re older than her and a stranger to her.”

“I’m not trying to date her! She looks cool and I actually read her paper!” Even Bruce paused and sent Jason a questioning look. “What?”

Dick went slack-jawed, “You? You actually read a paper that wasn’t about guns or violence? One, might I add, that is over 30 pages long?”

Jason just shrugged, “She’s a great writer and I loved reading about the work her class did. I think it’s cool that normal kids could do that, you know?”

Tim shook his head before entering the car after his brothers and Bruce, “Unbelievable.”

Jason soon followed suit, “Hey, if they have to do the whole buddy system thing I call dibs.” Bruce felt genuinely sorry for the girl, once any of his boys take an interest in something the whole family gets involved one way or another. Luckily, it was the Wayne family taking an interest in her and not the Bat-family. This made things easier, if not a bit embarrassing should any of his boys do something disrespectful. Bruce looked at Jason who just rolled his eyes right back at him, “I’ll be good!”

The car started and they were soon being driven away from the manor off to their vacation offshores. “We’ll see.”


	3. Boarding

Lila smiled and batted her eyelashes at the man currently holding her luggage, “It’s extremely fragile! Please be sure to handle my things with care!”

“What did you actually bring? You have a lot of luggage compared to the rest of us.” Alya looks over the mountain of luggage and gave Lila a curious look.

“Oh you know me,” she carefully placed herself in between Alya and her luggage, “I am so accident-prone! Add that with my arthritis and my mother wanted to make sure I was ready for anything.” She giggled, “Can’t ever be too prepared.”

Alya rolled her eyes and playfully nudged Lila, “You’re crazy.” Lila hummed and Alya caught a glimmer of light on her wrist, “Oh, did you get a new charm for your bracelet?” Some of the other girls in earshot looked over to see Lila’s bracelet. It was shining silver with room for designer charms that she received as a gift some months back. Lila never did share who gave it to her, but she did like to show it off along with the butterfly charm she received with the bracelet.

“Oh? Yeah! It’s nothing special, just another butterfly charm. They’re my favorites.” She held her wrist up to the light, the charms glittered and the girls couldn’t keep their eyes off of it. “I’m hoping to put on more while on the trip.” Lila soaked up the attention and it seemed that the girls went especially wild for it. Marinette shook her head and handed her bags to a crew member to put into her room.

Alya looked over at Marinette and slowly approached her. “Hey, you doing okay?”

“Hm?” Marinette was surprised Alya was even talking to her at all given how close she was to Lila, “What do you mean?”

“The whole trip over you and Adrien have both been tense. You’ve been avoiding him, don’t think I didn’t notice!” Alya grabbed Marinette’s hands and wore a concerned look on her face, “What happened between you two? I know you guys aren’t exactly close, but did you guys fight?”

Marinette tensed as she thought back to a few nights ago. She kept true to her promises to Tikki by talking to Master Fu and dispersing the Miraculous to those still in Paris that she trusted. Luka and Kagami knew to contact Marinette if they ever needed to reach Ladybug and Marinette was just glad they decided to accept the responsibility. Master Fu allowed her to take along the horse Miraculous in case of an emergency, but only after a few words of caution.

She thought back to that conversation and kept his words in her mind, “Marinette, you are under a lot of stress and you struggle to keep yourself centered. There is something to be said about letting yourself breathe and feel. It’s healing. Hawkmoth has made this process perverted by using it against the people of Paris to manipulate them into doing his bidding. It’s an unsaid human right to express your emotions, no one should be able to tell you not to feel.” She remembered how he sipped his tea, thinking over his words. “You have had to hold back those emotions for a long time now for fear of an Akuma. Still, know that despite what happens I pray that you find a safe place and let them out before those negative emotions consume you. I pray that this trip will lead you to a safe place so you can express yourself. Most importantly, I pray that you find some people you can feel safe with. I’ve noticed how you’ve drifted away from many of your friends. Being away from people you feel safe with only makes expressing yourself harder as you no longer have the support of someone you know. Knowing you, you will meet new people. Find the one you feel the most comfortable with and make sure you are in a safe place so you can let yourself feel again. You need it, Marinette.”

Looking forward a little bit and she remembers the wind rushing against her face as she patrols Paris with Cat Noir. She remembers stopping him telling him she was going away for a little while on vacation. She expected him to resist, instead, she saw him relax and look relieved. He admitted that he thought she was in need of a break. The only problem is that the dates didn’t line up, Cat Noir admitted he was also leaving for a bit. She wondered if Kagami and Luka could take care of Paris without Cat Noir and decided as long as she kept contact and had the horse Miraculous they should be okay. She regrets what she did next, she asked him where he was going. It was a simple question, one that friends would ask each other in this situation normally. Cat Noir responded, “I’m going on a cruise with my class. The class president won some kind of award and we were all invited. It should be fun.” It happened so fast, she panicked and suddenly she found herself facing Cat Noir as Adrien de-transformed. They argued. Marinette said some things she shouldn’t have to Cat Noir and vice versa, but she was so angry at herself and at him for finding out each other’s identities.

“Earth to Marinette, come back to us!” Alya snapped her fingers in front of Marinette’s face and Marinette blinked back to the current moment. Not on a rooftop in an argument, but in front of a large ship with her best friend. “What happened?”

Marinette bit her lip before carefully proceeding with her response, “We had an argument. It was bad, Alya. Really bad. I’m honestly surprised neither of us were akumatized that night.” Alya’s featured softened before pulling Marinette into a hug.

“Oh Marinette, I’m so sorry that happened. If you need me to, I can go kick his butt.”

Marinette laughed, “No! No! That’d just make things worse!” Alya giggled and leaned against her best friend. “I’ll let you know if I need anything, Alya. I swear. I think we just might need a little more time before we talk again.”

Alya nodded before petting down some stray strands of Marinette’s hair. “Why do I feel like this is the first conversation we’ve had in a long time?”

Marinette’s smile tightened, “Probably because Lila and you hang out a lot more. You guys have fun?”

“Yeah we do, but it’s not the same as hanging out with you Marinette.” Alya hugged Marinette one last time before leaving to attend to her own luggage, “We’ll talk later, okay?”

Marinette felt like she could cry, “Okay.” Marinette hasn’t had a conversation with Alya in weeks, not because they were avoiding each other. No, because Lila monopolized Alya’s time along with everyone else around Marinette. Lila kept her isolated at school, but here? The only reason they were allowed to come was that Marinette worked hard and won. For the first time, she felt like she was on equal footing with Lila again like she did when Lila first arrived at the school. She had a fighting chance to have Alya back and if Alya could come back to her, she might be able to reconnect with the others like she hoped. Marinette clutched onto her purse and she could feel Tikki’s comforting presence as she cherished the mist hitting her face.

“Miss, is there anything fragile that we should know about?”

Marinette spun around to look at the man addressing her, “Hm? No, I don’t think so. Thank you so much for taking our bags!”

The crew member paused for a second before laughing, “That’s the first real ‘thank you’ I’ve heard in a long time. Most of our ship’s guests don’t even look our way.”

Marinette frowned, “That’s so rude though! You’re doing so much work, you should be recognized for it!” She looked at his uniform and found his name tag, “Charles? What a fancy name.”

He gave a small turn, “I have this fancy uniform too.” Marinette laughed at his antics, she missed having these normal conversations with people. “I’ll make sure your bags get to your room safely, Miss.”

“Marinette. My name is Marinette.”

“Oh! Marinette Dupain-Cheng?” Marinette nodded and he pulled out a small whistle from his pocket. He blew into the trinket and the loud ring seemed to summon over about fourteen other crewmen and women. Each stood to the side of the dock that led onto the boat and bowed slightly.

In unison, they all proudly said, “On behalf of Wayne Enterprises, we welcome you aboard our ship Miss Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

Marinette stood there almost in shock until Alya walked over to her and nudged her forward. “They want you to start walking up. We’ll follow you.” Marinette looked back as the class patiently waited for her to take those first steps up the ramp. While scanning the class, she made eye contact with a certain blond and she spun her head back around. She took a deep breath and started to walk up onto the boat. As she passed them, each crewman straightened up and watched her. She could feel all eyes on her and if she was being honest it was getting to be a little nerve-wracking.

Marinette mumbled to herself, “How extra are these rich people?”

Another crew woman politely greeted her once she stepped on board, “Miss, may I lead you to your room?”

“What about my classmates?”

“You will be in a separate room specifically reserved for important guests.”

“Pretty extra,” she thought to herself as she followed her guide through the ship. The woman quickly showed her the different decks, the arcades, recreational rooms, you name it the Wayne family had it on this boat. “You could fit a whole city on this thing.”

“Yes, it is very large but Bruce Wayne expects only the best.” She turned into a separate hallway and Marinette immediately noted that while the whole ship looked like it was worth a lot of money, this hallway had an elegance to it she had never seen before. The woman pulled out a special key and opened the two-door entrance to Marinette’s room. “This is where you’ll be staying.” The room was large. Larger than her parents’ bakery. She walked inside and took note of each and every little detail that stood out to her. The embroideries, the silk, the TV’s sound system, everything was as high end as it could get. “The bathroom is to your left and to your right is a living room, game room combination.”

“You’re kidding.”

“Like I said, only the best.” Marinette started to hear the muffled sound of propellers and the women merely smiled. “It seems Mr. Wayne has arrived.” A few more crew members came in with her luggage, one of which was Charles who winked at her and laughed. “If you need anything at all, just use the phone. All the numbers you may need are in the boat’s phone book-“

“The boat needs a phone book?”

“Yes. Anyway, you are free to explore to your heart’s content.” Each of the crew members started to leave her room and before closing the doors the woman politely said, “Welcome aboard, Miss Dupain-Cheng.”

Marinette looked around the large room and immediately ran to the bed. She dove into the mattress and rubbed herself against the sheets. “Tikki, come see this.”

Tikki soon phased out from the purse and fluttered around the room, “Wow, they really know how to make a girl feel welcome!”

“Yeah, but it’s lonely isn’t it? I mean this is like the size of a house and it’s all for little old me.”

Tikki flew up to her holder and smiled, “That just means it’s time to go find some new friends and explore! They did say you could go anywhere.”

“Would you like to stay here or come with me?”

“Depends, you think the staff would get too curious if I ordered room service?” Marinette laughed and agreed to Tikki’s terms. Soon room service came knocking with a whole tray of sweets and Marinette thanked them kindly for their quick response and Tikki dove for the biggest cake she could see.

Marinette smiled, “Satisfied?” Tikki popped up from underneath the cake’s icing and nodded. “Okay, I’m going to explore. Stay hidden.”

“Don’t worry about me, just go and make memories!” Marinette laughed and made sure no one was outside her door before making a quick escape. Marinette soon realized she should’ve asked the staff for a map of the ship. Being the size of a small country, she found herself lost and confused by the different layouts of the different floors. She wandered aimlessly and just enjoyed the sights. She found that each room had its purpose for the floor with each floor having a few rooms in common; the dining halls, the arcades, the recreational gyms, and the spas. The staff was kind to her as she passed, giving her comfort that if she needed to get back to her room she could have someone guide her back no issue. She ran to what she could only assume was one of the top floors, if not the top floor, of the ship. She looked around and found herself in front of a helipad and an empty helicopter that she could only assume was used to get the Waynes on board. She looked around some more and made a mental note that if she ever needed to get away, this floor was void of many people and was quiet. A calm getaway.

Looking through another open door she found herself in an office. Hardwood desk with papers scattered all over the top. The room, unlike the rest of the ship, felt pulled out of an old novel. The sunset made the redwood walls look almost on fire because of how saturated the color was. She walked over and carefully peered into the glass bottles, noticing the small scale ships inside and the details they each carry. She puts on a hat sitting on the desk and looks at herself in the mirror beside one of the bookshelves and laughs at the silliness of it all. She continues to look at the desk and doesn’t see any modern technology. No computers, no outlets, no desk light. She saw pens, books, scattered papers, and an oil lantern. Looking over the papers, she realized quite a few had red letters written over them but before she could look further a man entered the room.

He was older, greying hair on both his head and beard. His darkened eyes held a stern grasp on Marinette’s attention. A frown swept across his wrinkled face. This man stood in between her and the exit and he crossed his arms, “What are you doing in here?”

Marinette jumped up and took off the hat, “I’m sorry! I swear all I did was look around!”

The man paused for a bit before nodding, “Oh, you are one of the kids from the Paris class.” She figured it was her accent that gave her away but she couldn’t nod or do anything to confirm his observation. He walked over and gathered the letters together in a drawer and locked it. He looked up at her and back at the hat, “Why are you in here?”

Marinette felt her heartbeat quicken in its pace, “I was told I could look around and I found myself here after getting lost. If I’m not allowed here, I’m so sorry sir-“

“Captain.”

“I’m sorry?”

He put the hat over his head, “Captain. Captain Staller.” She paled, realizing she just invaded the captain’s office and put on his hat. “Calm down girl. I’m not angry with you. Just surprised, no one comes up here.” He held out a hand towards her and Marinette realized he wasn’t much bigger than her. Taller for sure but average build accented by the designs of his uniform. “You shake it.”

Marinette blinked before snapping back into reality and quickly shaking his hands, “Marinette.” She could feel the callouses on his hands, clearly someone who has worked for many years. “It’s nice to meet you.”

He smiled, “So you are Marinette Dupain-Cheng. It’s not every day someone outside of Bruce’s inner circle gets invited on this ship. Everyone knows about you.” Marinette felt embarrassed and pride at the same time, it was an old feeling but nothing unwelcomed. “I read your paper.”

“You did?” She couldn’t quite figure out where he was from. He spoke like an American but certain words carried an accent and his dark skin did not reveal much to her other than it reminded her of Nino’s skin tone.

“Yes, and I love the way you talk about your friends, so full of pride. When you are around the fabulously wealthy you don’t see them giving that type of recognition given to anyone but themselves. It’s a breath of fresh air, my girl.”

She smiled, “Thank you, Captain. I worked very hard to make sure my class and I could win this spot on the ship.”

“It shows!” He smiled warmly at her before rummaging threw his drawers. He pulled out a similar hat to the one Marinette found on his desk, only smaller and less worn. “The captain hat suits you. A natural leader, I can tell.”

“Oh, I couldn’t possibly-”

He pushed the hat into her hands, “I insist. This is my gift to you for coming up to see this lonely Captain.” Her heart swelled as she took the cap and put it on, “Lovely.”

Marinette looked at herself in the mirror at the better fitting hat, “Why do you have this?”

“I used to have a niece who would visit and come aboard sometimes.”

“Oh, where is she now?”

“A better place.” Marinette paused and turned to the man, his expression darkened as he watched her try on the hat. “I’m sure if she was here she would’ve let you use the hat too.”

Marinette took off the hat and held it close to her chest, “Thank you. It’s a lovely gift. I’ll treasure it.”

Captain Staller smiled at her before heading out of the office, “Follow me, little girl. If you ever want to find me I’m either in my office, my room, or in this den.” He opened a door farther down the hall and, like his office, she felt as though he was in a different time. “I must attend to my reports, but please visit anytime girl.”

Marinette smiled and nodded, “Promise.” She quickly hugged him before exploring the den’s secrets. Captain Staller laughed at the girl’s wonder before leaving her and Marinette was too curious to really care. There were bookshelves with classics lining the walls. The chairs were very cushioned with long backs that she could sleep in if she wanted to. The den actually had electrical lamps lining the walls to light up the room in a warm yellow glow. She found more of those ships in bottles and followed them to a small bar hidden in the corner. She approached the bar slowly, appreciating the craftsmanship of the wood. Kneeling down she could see that there were pictures carved into the bar of ships and sea creatures and she smiled at the story laid out in front of her in the wood.

She stood back up and stood face to face with someone behind the table. The two screamed and jumped back, Marinette stumbled over some furniture and landed onto the floor while the other person knocked himself back into the shelves of glasses and bourbon. She could hear a small groan accompany her own as she picked herself up. She looked over the boy in front of her, a fitted black shirt and grey pants were worn well on his toned but slim body. Spiked up hair that seemed to just do that naturally and green eyes that studied her just as closely as she studied him. He was the first to break the silence, “What are you doing here?”

Marinette stumbled over her words and felt an odd sense of déjà vu, “I was invited to explore this room by Captain Staller.”

“The Captain let you in here?” He crossed his arms and muttered to himself, “It took me weeks to get him to let me in here.” She straightened herself out and sat on a stool across from him, “What?”

“What are you doing in here?”

The boy blinked and cautiously replied, “I didn’t exactly feel like spending time with my family. This is the one place they won’t look.”

Marinette watched him as he wiped the dust off the tabletop and asked, “What’s your name?”

He paused and turned to look at her directly, “You don’t know me?”

“No. That’s why I asked.”

It took him a second before his eyes widened, “I know you.”

Marinette could feel one of her eyebrows raise, “Oh really?”

“You’re Marinette. You wrote the paper.”

She snorted, “Oh jeez, did everyone get a copy of that paper?”

“Yes actually, to make sure they knew why you were invited and that you were the guest of honor for a reason.”

She paused before sighing, “These people go over the top, don’t they?”

The boy smirked, “Yeah, you can say that again. They’re all ridiculous, but they’re good people.”

Marinette could feel herself relax, “That’s good to know. I haven’t met any of the hosts yet and the application only showed a picture of Bruce Wayne. I heard his whole family was here though.”

“Not all of them, just his four boys.” He pulled out two glasses, “If he brought everyone there would be more like twelve of Bruce’s kids running around the ship.”

Marinette’s eyes widened, “Twelve?!”

He shook his head, “Some are adopted, some are honorary Wayne family members because of how close he is with them, and he has one blood son.” He crouched down behind the bar, “What would you like to drink by the way?”

“Oh no, I don’t drink.”

The boy popped back up with some cold soda and poured himself a glass. “There’s also sparkling water if you don’t want soda.”

Marinette relaxed, “Sparkling water thank you.” He nodded and quickly gave her the ordered drink and held up his glass, “Congratulations on winning the service award.”

Marinette picked up her glass and gently tapped it against his, a small clink resonated through their little corner of the room as she sipped her drink. “So you still haven’t told me who you were.” Before the boy could say anything there was a knock on the door. He sighed and walked over to the den’s entrance, opening it slowly.

“I don’t want to talk-” He paused before letting out a small, “Oh.” Marinette couldn’t see who was at the door from her seat and hopped off her seat. Before she peered around the door she tensed up after hearing the voice at the other side.

“Hi, have you seen Marinette? She’s the winner of the award and brought our class on board with her, but they took her to a separate part of the ship.”

The boy quickly looked over at made eye contact with Marinette, by some miracle he understood her level of unease and he simply stated, “No. No, I haven’t. I’ll let the staff know that her class is looking for her though.”

“Thank you, but not the class. Just her friend Adrien.”

“Adrien Agreste? I didn’t realize your father let you go to public school.”

Adrien laughed softly, “It was an uphill battle. Anyways, I’ll see you around-”

“Damian.”

“Okay, see you around Damian.”

The boy, now known as Damian, closed the door and Marinette visibly relaxed before sitting back down on her stool. “Is there a reason you are hiding from the Agreste boy?”

She shook her head, “I don’t want to talk about that.” She took another sip of her water, cherishing the cool liquid after sweating from nearly being caught. “I don’t want to talk to him right now, let’s just say that.” She hummed, “Is Damian your real name? Or is that just something you told him so he wouldn’t get suspicious?”

He grabbed his glass and sat next to her, “It’s my real name.”

She held out her hand, “It’s nice to meet you, Damian.”

He paused before shaking her hand, “Nice to meet you, Marinette.”

She looked out one of the windows of the den, “It’s so pretty. In Paris, all the lights mimic the glimmering stars, but I’ve never actually seen them like this.”

There was a moment of silence before Damian hopped off his seat, “Hold on.” Damian left to turn off the lights of the den. He opened the door and looked around for a moment before looking back at her, “Follow me.”

She put the glasses away and quickly ran to his side, “Where are we going?”

Damian closed the door behind him and started to turn off all the lights in the halls as they passed through them. “The helideck.” He pulled out his phone and sent out a text before looking back and motioning for her to keep up. She giggled as they ran around the halls. She forgot what it felt like to just run around; no Akumas, no classes she was running late to, just running around the halls of a ship with a strange boy. An adventure. They ran out on to the helideck and he unlocked his phone and dialed.

“What are we doing?”

He held up a finger to tell her to wait as the person on the other side answered, “Are you ready? Okay, only for a few minutes. Do it now.” He hung up and smiled at her.

“What?” Suddenly the lights cut out and she put herself into a fighting stance.

“Marinette, look up.” Marinette was confused but did as she was told and couldn’t believe her eyes. “This is how you see starts out here.” She felt herself getting lost in the infinite space that surrounded her. She felt small and insignificant, something she hadn’t felt since she took up the Ladybug mantle. She could feel her eyes start to water and she let herself get lost in the starlight. Damian sighed, “It makes you feel small, doesn’t it?”

“I love it.” She could feel Damian’s eyes on her. Probably a strange response, but she couldn’t care less. “I love this. How did you do this?”

He didn’t answer, instead he walked next to her and pointed up at the stars. “You want to learn some constellations?” Marinette nodded and he began to point out the different symbols in the night sky. She listened carefully as he pointed out some of the more common ones, like Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, as well as the less well-known ones like Cassiopeia, Cepheus, and Draco. An alert on his phone went off and he quickly told her to close her eyes. She covered them and could tell that the lights have turned back on. It took her a second for her eyes to adjust before looking over at Damian.

“That was incredible.”

He smiled, “I sometimes forget how big the universe really is. Some people don’t like that, makes them feel insignificant, but I find it calming. It’s odd I know-”

“I feel the same way.” He looked at her curiously and she shrugged, “When you have so many responsibilities and so much pressure, it’s nice to look at that and remember what it feels like to have no expectations. Just being present in the moment is enough and because of that I got to see something beautiful.” She felt the wind blow across her face and she took in a deep breath, enjoying the smell of the seawater below. “I only wish I could have more moments like this.”

Damian carefully listened to her words and nodded in agreement. He seemed oddly comfortable standing there with her, but the more she watched him the more she realized something was different about him. His perfect posture, his pristine clothing that she could now see was high quality and the way he spoke as if every word as fact. It irritated her that she couldn’t figure him out yet, but those thoughts died down when Damian smiled at her. “While you’re here, I’ll make it my duty to make sure you make the most out of your time here.”

“You don’t-”

“Marinette?” The two looked back and saw Adrien standing in the entryway from the ship to the helideck.

“Adrien, what are you-”

“I’ve been looking all over for you. Come on, we have to talk.” He tried to reach for her hand, but she pulled away. “Mari-”

Something inside her told her to stay away, she wasn’t ready for this conversation just yet. “I don’t want to talk to you right now.” She took a few steps back, “Please.”

“Marinette, we have to-”

Damian stepped into Adrien’s line of sight, strategically covering his view to Marinette. “I believe the lady asked you to go.”

Adrien frowned, “Damian this doesn’t involve you.”

“Anything that happens on this ship involves me. Now leave before I call security.”

“You can’t do that! You can’t-”

Raising his voice slightly, Damian cut him off. “I own this ship, I can do whatever I damn well please.”

Marinette studied Damian closely, noting his protective stance still held an air of calmness around it. Either he knew there wasn’t going to be a fight, or he knew he was going to easily win. Marinette peered over his shoulder to get a better look at Damian’s face as she talked to him, “What do you mean you own this ship?”

Adrien looked as though he had an epiphany, “Wayne. You’re Damian Wayne, Bruce’s only blood son.”

Marinette felt the wind knocked out of her, “Damian?”

Damian never looked back, he continued to stare down Adrien. “I asked you to leave before I call security. You have three seconds.”

“Marinette-”

“Three.”

“Please just-”

“Two!”

“OKAY!” Adrien started to back away, “Okay!” He tried to catch Marinette’s attention one last time, but her focus was solely on the boy in front of her. “We’ll talk later.” Adrien turned and ran down the halls. It took a few moments before Damian relaxed slightly and turned to face Marinette.

“What?”

“You’re a Wayne.”

He nodded and matter-of-factly stated, “And you are a Dupain-Cheng.”

Damian was caught off guard by her next question, “Was this a game? Or was this a job?”

“What?”

She slowly circled him to be closer to the door for an escape, “The staff here. I understand if the staff was being super nice, but you? There’s no reason. Is this a PR stunt?”

“Marinette, no-”

She could feel her self getting angry and embarrassed with each passing moment she knew he was a Wayne. “It’s ‘your duty’ to make sure I am happy on this trip, you said that. Did Bruce figure one of his sons is the same age would make a good guide? ‘I’ll just send one of them down to make sure she’s happy and keep face’?”

“Marinette-”

“I hate liars!” Her voice raised in the same way he raised his towards Adrien. Damian froze for a moment, confused. “I hate liars and you lied by omission. When were you going to tell me anyway? Or were you just going to let the little baker girl stay in the dark the whole trip?” She felt herself getting madder and she didn’t really get why. Maybe it was her exhaustion from the past few months, or maybe it reminded her anger towards Lila, but something insider her was triggered by the whole ordeal. “I want to go back to my room.”

She could tell Damian wasn’t expecting this reaction from her, “Marinette, I don’t understand. What’s wrong?”

“I want to go to my room now please!” She waited a few seconds for the boy to react before bolting inside the ship. The lack of lighting made it difficult for her to navigate, but she just tried to remember details of the scenery she passed. The remembered passing the door on her right as it had a slightly darker hue than the rest of the doors. She took a right at the blue vase with white accents. Finally, down the stairs past the Captain’s quarters. She kept running until she bumped into someone, almost knocking them down. She rubbed her head before registering the hand in front of her face.

“Miss are you okay?”

She didn’t respond. Instead, she popped up and looked at the man in front of her, desperately asking, “My name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng, where is my room?”

The man blinked for a second before answering, “I’m not sure, but I can find out. Come on, let’s walk.” She would’ve too. He was older and well-built. He had a welcoming aura surrounding him. He wasn’t in any kind of uniform, instead just in a casual t-shirt and jeans combo which she could tell was comfortable. He was a safe bet if any, but she could hear faint footsteps quickly gaining on her. “Are you okay?”

“I have to go, where is the nearest arcade?”

The man pointed down the hall, “Take the second right and you’ll be right there.”

“Thank you!” She sprinted down the hall and hid in the arcade. The room’s dark ambiance was complimented by the colorful lights bouncing off each machine. She found a spot behind a rail shooter and crouched low to the ground. She looked around the room and relaxed until someone tapped her shoulder. She reeled around and nearly punched the person behind her. The boy was not much older than her and Damien, messier hair and he looked tired. Dressed in a hoodie and baggie pants, she figured he was either a night owl or that he ran on coffee. He blocked the punch as if by reflex and they sat there for a moment before he broke the silence.

“You’re Marinette.”

She grabbed his shoulders, “Yes, I need you to listen to me. I’m avoiding someone and I need to get back to my room without them finding me. Can you help me? I am in the room for special guests. The one as big as a house.” The boy took a second to process before he heard footsteps quickly approaching, “Are you going to help me or not?”

The boy nodded and grabbed her hand. He ran with her closely following him, hand in hand and despite not even knowing his name she knew he was going to get her back safely. He led her down halls and stairs ways she hadn’t even seen before on her initial journey around the top decks.

“Where are we going?”

“Short cut!” She cut through a few conference rooms in the middle decks, always staying close to her new guide. Soon, he led her to a more recognizable part of the ship. She quickly unlocked it before hearing those faint footsteps, “Who is following you?”

She just grimaced and grabbed the boy by his sweater, pulling him in and quickly shutting it. She put her hand over his mouth and her finger to her lips, “Shhh.” The footsteps grew louder and stopped in front of her door.

“Marinette?” The boy next to her tensed up but kept quiet per request. Damian knocked a few times, “Marinette are you in there? Can we please talk? I don’t know what I did wrong.” Another few knocks and then a few moments of silence. Finally, she heard him sigh and his footsteps slowly but surely got softer as he left the area. She took her hand off the boy’s mouth and sighed in relief.

“So I take it you like sweets?”

“Huh?” She looked behind her at the mostly eaten cart of various deserts. Her eyes widened, “Oh! Yeah, my family runs a bakery so I can’t live without my sweets.” She laughed nervously and he just nodded.

“Good to know.” He turned on the lights and looked around the room. “This place really is as big as a house.”

“I know it’s kind of ridiculous.” She sat down on the bed to catch her breath and looked over at the boy wandering the room. “What are you doing?”

“I thought I saw something flying around. It was big.”

She felt her breath hitch, “Probably just your eyes playing tricks on you.”

He looked around one last time before laying down on the bed next to her. “Maybe.” He turned to look at her, “So is there any reason you’re running from Damian?”

“He lied to me. He didn’t tell me he the Damian Wayne. It felt like…” She paused for a moment before taking a deep breath, “I just have a big problem with bullies and liars pretending to be someone they’re not. I guess it just…” She sat there for a moment trying to get her thoughts in order, “I don’t know.” She groaned, “I just reacted and everything in my body was just telling me to run away.”

The boy thought for a moment before patting Marinette on her head. “It’s okay, you’ve had a long day and if you’re dealing with liars and bullies it makes sense you don’t have a good handle on your emotions right now. Things around you are just happening that are out of your control and here’s just one more thing that really just pushed it too far.” She studied his face, trying to see if he was joking or not. “He should’ve told you who he was, but to be fair he probably didn’t want you to know. When you’re as famous as the Damian Wayne, only blood son of the Wayne family, finding someone who doesn’t know you were probably very exciting to him. No expectations, no prior judgments, just strangers.”

Marinette processed the words and covered her face, “Oh my god and I just ran away from him.”

“Was he being a jerk? Because if he was-”

“No! No! He was a gentleman.” She rubbed her temples, “Why did I react like that?”

The boy laughed, “Ah yes, the plights of the common French teenager. ‘I just got a nice rich guy to talk to me and I blew it!’ You could make that into a TV show probably.” She pouted, “What?”

“Be serious! I just insulted the son of my host! I worked so hard to get here only to get kicked out because my emotions went a little haywire!” She grabbed a pillow and screamed into it, “This is a disaster!”

The boy laughed and she hit him with the pillow, “Okay! Okay! I surrender!” Marinette halted her assault and clutched onto her pillow. “I don’t think you’ll get in trouble. If anything, if Bruce hears that Damian upset the guest of honor, he’ll be punished.”

“That’s worse!”

He looked at his phone, “If you want I can do damage control.” He waited for her to give him an answer but instead found her staring at him. “What?”

Marinette looked at the phone, brand new model and brand new case. His clothes, though worn, cost a large sum of money. “Who are you?”

“My name is Tim Drake, genius boy wonder and the 3rd adopted son of the famous Bruce Wayne.” Time stopped for a moment and she hit him with her pillow again. “What?!”

“You could’ve said that earlier!” She groaned, “Great now one of them thinks I hate him and the other thinks I’m an emotional wreck with a sweet tooth!” She buried her face in her pillow and Tim could hear her cries muffled. “This is it, it’s over. I’m getting kicked off for sure.”

“You’re not getting kicked off! Jeez, you’re worse than Dick.”

She looked up, “Who?”

“He’s our oldest brother. He’s a bit of a diva.”

“Oh.” She sighed, “The whole reason I did this was to make new friends and to try to win back my old ones from-” She stopped herself from saying her name. Instead, she chose to bite her lip.

Tim carefully prodded for more information, “From?”

“The liar I was talking about.” She shook her head, “She’s here on the boat.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, which one of them is it?”

She closed her eyes, “You’ll know. She said before she got on the trip that she knew you. She’s the newest member, but you’d swear she was there from day one the way she has everyone wrapped around her finger.”

Tim paused for a second before pulling out his phone and sending a few texts. “Hey, I’ll see you tomorrow, Marinette.”

“Where are you going?”

Tim crawled off the bed and walked over to the cart of sweets, “I already told you I was going do damage control. Might as well take this out on the way, unless you still want some.” Marinette shook her head and he just smiled at her. “Just sleep tonight and I promise you tomorrow will be a better day.”

“How do you know?”

Tim shrugged, “Just an educated guess. Remember,” he tapped his head and smiled, “I’m a genius.” He opened the door and wheeled the cart out, but before closing the door he looked back at Marinette one last time, “I mean it, sleep is really good on helping you reset.”

“Then why does it look like you haven’t slept in days?”

Tim laughed, “You’re funny. My brothers are going to like you. I’m sure Damian already does if he was showing you around. I’m going to make a guess and say you’re the reason he shut off the lights on the ship.” Marinette nodded hesitantly, completely embarrassed over the trouble she’s caused. “See? Everything will be better tomorrow. I swear.”

Marinette took a deep breath and nodded, “Okay. I’ll hold you to that.” Tim nodded and left the room, letting Tikki finally come out into the open. “You think he’s telling the truth?”

“I think we won’t know until tomorrow, so I’d take his advice and sleep Marinette.” Marinette nodded before tucking herself in bed. Tikki flew over and turned off the lights before landing next to her chosen. Tikki sighed, “It’s rough right now, but he’s right. Tomorrow will be better.” She curled herself up against the plush pillow and nodded off next to Marinette. “Have faith.”

Marinette looked over at her sleeping Kwami, “That’s easy for you to say. You’re the physical embodiment of good luck.” She thought back to her actions today and groaned. She couldn’t understand why she was so easily emotional and irritable, causing her even more stress and a coming headache. “I’m a disaster.”


	4. Unpacking

Tim walked the nearly empty tray out and handed it to the nearest staff person he could find. He ran his fingers through his hair before looking back at the time. It’s late and he needs to go find his brothers. They should’ve gotten his texts, he told them to meet him below deck, sublevel 5 conference room 3 to be exact. He knew it would irritate them. They all liked to explore the upper decks, but he found that if he wasn’t by a computer, in an arcade, or in his room he was in that room. It was small, secluded, private, and everything he wanted in an escape from his brothers. They didn’t like it in there for being dark and small compared to the other conference rooms, but to him, it just made things cozy. Like his own mini bat-cave.

Tim started to make his way down, noting some of the few people still wandering the ship. Many were crewmen, but the odd few were other guests on the ship. He took pride in his little pathways and short cuts, it made things more interesting and let him see things normal walkways would’ve overlooked. He remembers studying the blueprints of the ship when Bruce first thought of buying and renovating the thing. No one really understood why he did it, Jason teased him for being a nerd, and while Damien did study a bit of it Damian only took interest in the secret areas sectioned off only to the Wayne family. Tim opened up the door to a shoot around the corner and out of anyone’s immediate line of sight and smiled to himself. He gave one last look around before jumping in and sliding down what would normally take at least 6 flights of stairs from where he was at. This is what his brothers were missing, but Tim didn’t mind having his own little secrets if it meant he was never caught in hide and seek or tag with his siblings. Tim slid to a stop in front of a large vent on sub level 5 and effortlessly took the little barrier off to climb out. He quietly put the vent back in place like always and made his way over to conference room 3.

Dick was standing at the door beside Damian and both looked startled when he came into view. Dick looked back over his shoulder and back at Tim, “How do you always do that?”

“Do what?”

Dick turned back to his brother, “This. You always manage to either get somewhere before us or pop out of nowhere.”

Tim shrugged and pulled a key out from his pocket, “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Dick.” Tim had a smug grin on his face as he opened the door for his two brothers and they all walked in. “Where’s Jason?”

Damian looked at his phone, “He said he was on his way.”

“Oh great so we’ll be waiting for 30 minutes.”

“Not quite.” They looked over to the doorway and saw Bruce and a very tired looking Jason by his side. “Why are we meeting here?”

Tim looked over at Bruce as he sat a still half-asleep Jason on the nearest chair. “How did you-”

“Jason fell asleep in my office while hiding from one of the girls in Marinette’s class.” No one but Jason missed Damian flinch at the mention of the girl’s name.

Jason yawned and glared at his brothers, “Yeah, what the hell? We were all supposed to greet the class during dinner and what happens? Tim disappears, Dick ditches towards the end and Damian is nowhere to be found! Not to mention the lights going out and everyone freaking out.” He rubbed his temples, “I didn’t think that Lila girl had that kind of grip. I barely got away from her! Plus, worse of all I didn’t even get to see Marinette! The staff said she got room service or something!” Bruce patted Jason’s shoulder comfortingly and had a look of pity on his face.

Dick frowned, “That bad?”

“Always is when working with kids. At least I had practice dealing with you four.” A collective, “HEY!” resonated in the room and Bruce chuckled before taking the seat at the head of the table. “So why are we here?”

Tim pulled out his phone, but before he could say anything Dick slapped the back of Damian’s head. “Looks like Romeo over here messed things up with our guest of honor.”

Damian growled and turned to his older brother, “I already told you, I didn’t do anything wrong! She just ran!”

“Yeah, like a bat out of hell! She almost took me down with how fast she was running!”

Bruce pinched the bridge of his nose, “Damian, what did you do?”

Damian desperately looked between the two men, “I already told you! I don’t know why she ran!”

Jason slammed his fist on the table, “Wait, you two actually got to MEET her and demon spawn over here blew it? She hasn’t even been on the boat for a day, how the hell did you manage that?”

“It wasn’t my fault! If it wasn’t for the Agreste kid-”

Dick’s eyes widened, “Oh please, tell me you didn’t get into a fight.”

“I didn’t!”

Jason scoffed, “Yeah right, you have such a bad superiority complex you probably felt threatened.”

Damian glared at Jason, “One, I don’t get threatened. I am threatening. Two, I wasn’t the one feeling threatened by him being there.”

Bruce groaned, “Oh please tell me you didn’t-”

“I didn’t!” Visibly growing more frustrated, Damian ran his fingers through his hair and snarled, “Why is nobody listening to me? I didn’t do anything!”

“He’s right.” The room grew silent and they all looked at Tim as he scrolled through his phone. “Damian didn’t do anything wrong.”

Dick crossed his arms, “How do you know?”

Without looking up from his phone Tim simply stated, “She invited me to her room to talk.” The air grew heavy with silence before Tim tapped his phone one more time and the overhead projector started up. He finally looked up and found them all staring at him, “What?”

Dick was still unconvinced, “You went to her room? At night?”

“Got into her bed too. By the way, I want the same mattress she has, it is way comfier than any of ours.” Tim saw the color drain from Damian’s face and all the others stared at him in shock. Without changing his expression, he turned the projector on. “Don’t be raunchy, I helped get her back to her room when she was making her escape from baby bird over there and we talked.”

The room’s energy immediately changed for the better and awkward silence was broken by some sighs of relief. Damian visibly relaxed and Jason threw his hands up, “Did everyone meet her except for me?”

Damian blinked, “Wait, so you two were in her room when I went to go find her?”

“Pretty much.” Tim projected a picture onto the screen and Jason visibly tensed.

“Oh my god, it’s her.”

Tim pointed at the photo before looking back down at his phone, “Her name is Lila and she is the reason Marinette reacted so negatively to Damian.” He swiped up and a few more pictures popped up on the screen.

Dick stared at the picture confused, “Tim what are we looking at here?”

Tim pointed at the different photos, “These are taken from the Instagram of Marinette’s best friend Alya. Notice anything weird?”

“Other than you stalking a French girl’s Instagram?”

Damian narrowed his eyes and spoke up first, “Why isn’t Marinette in any of these?”

Tim snapped, “Exactly, but you know who is in them? Lila.” He zoomed in on the girl in each of the photos, “All of a sudden, a few months back Marinette disappeared from any mention on all of her classmate’s social media. At the same time, Lila has been center of attention or been a part of almost all of her classmates’ photos.”

Jason yawned, “Get to the point.”

Tim looked over at Jason who was rubbing his eyes and bluntly said, “She’s Marinette’s bully.”

The room froze for a second for everyone to process what Tim just said before Bruce broke the silence, “Are you sure?”

Tim raised an eyebrow at the man, “Bruce, I’m the future world’s greatest detective. This is hardly the hardest case I’ve cracked.” Tim pushed up a few more pictures, this time with Marinette as the center of attention. “These are some older pictures taken from Marinette’s Instagram. As you can see, a few months ago she had a fairly healthy social life with a good amount of friends surrounding her. But,” Tim swiped away those photos to be replaced with a different set that either only had Marinette in them, her parents, or her designs, “suddenly they just disappeared from her life altogether.” Tim tapped once more on his phone and the project shut down, leaving a blank screen. “Lila seems to be the type to isolate and eliminate. She fabricates stories to tell her classmates so that they flock to her and keeps Marinette by herself for not doing the same.” Tim looked over and caught Damian’s eye, “That’s why she reacted so strongly to you lying to her. Her bully lies all the time about who she is, the things she’s done, and here she thinks she might’ve made a new friend only for you to admit, really late might I add, that you were a Wayne all along.” Damian opened his mouth to respond but Tim cut him off, “Scratch that. You were exposed by Agreste on the helideck. You didn’t even have the decency to tell her.”

“How did you-”

Tim pulled up the security feed on his phone and showed Damien the footage from the camera facing the helicopter, “Look, you didn’t mean to hurt her feelings. She’s in a vulnerable place right now and you just kind of set her off by accident. Still, you should’ve told her before you even left the Captain’s den.”

Damian leaned back into his chair and thought it over and Tim could see a mix of understanding and guilt pass over this face. Dick spoke up first, “So what do we do about it?”

“About what?”

Dick frowned and sarcastically responded, “About global warming.”

“Well, there are ways to reduce your carbon footprint significantly if you just stopped using so much hair spray.”

Jason snapped, “He meant about Lila, Tim! What do we do about Lila?” Everyone in the room turned to Tim who just shrugged in response. “You can’t be serious, Tim.”

“I just promised to do damage control, I didn’t prepare past that!”

Damian groaned, “Jesus Drake, you need some kind of psych evaluation.”

Bruce finally spoke up, “Well, the way I see it we have a few options.” The boys all turned to face Bruce and he began listing some things off. “One, which is actually required, Damian will apologize to Marinette for hiding your identity from her and will make it up to her by showing her a fun time.”

Dick wrapped his arm around Damian’s shoulder and Damian tensed, “We’re on it.”

“Two, we kick Lila off this ship-“

“Good plan.”

“-and let her lying continue after we’re out of the picture. Or, we find ways to bring her lies to light and show her other classmates that Lila can’t be trusted.”

Jason leaned back, “After what I just went through with her, can’t we just do both?”

Tim sighed, “Maybe but only after we prove she’s a lying b-”

“We have to approach this carefully.” The boys turned to Bruce, waiting for him to elaborate. “The way Marinette talks about her class, even Lila, she clearly is hiding this for a reason. Lila may have leverage now, but when she first arrived at their school she could’ve been exposed right away.”

Tim nodded, “Yeah, Marinette wouldn’t tell me Lila’s name either when we talked. I just figured it out based off of what she said.”

“But that doesn’t make sense!” Dick let his head lull back as he tried to concentrate, “If Lila arrived a few years ago, what happened a few months ago that prompted this type of response?”

Tim sighed, “That is something I can’t figure out. As far as I can tell, there hasn’t been any sort of confrontation.” Damian motioned to look through Tim’s phone and Tim handed it over, still holding his conversation with Dick. “It came out of nowhere and to have your friends all just kind of leave you for your bully for no particular reason would be stressful for anybody.”

Damian bit his lip, “When Agreste pointed out I was a Wayne, she got so upset.” He rubbed his eyes and frowned, “She yelled at me. Said she hated liars and questioned my intentions. To hold that type of caution towards people isn’t necessarily bad, but the reaction was just so intense. All because I didn’t tell her my last name.” He landed on a picture of Marinette and Alya from a few months ago and there was a glow about her that had dulled by the time she arrived on the ship. He paused, “This is frustrating.”

Tim looked over at Damian and pointed out, “You know she thinks you hate her now.”

“What? Why?”

“In her words, and I quote,” Tim coughed and out came a terrible excuse for a girl’s voice, “‘I just insulted the son of my host! I worked so hard to get here only to get kicked out because my emotions went a little haywire!’ After she found out who I was she also said, ‘Great now one of them thinks I hate him and the other thinks I’m an emotional wreck with a sweet tooth!’”

Dick tried not to laugh at his impression, “Sweet tooth?”

“Yeah, it was super weird, she had this huge cart of sweets. All almost entirely eaten!”

Damian looked confused, “That makes no sense. She wouldn’t have had time to eat it. She was wandering the ship all day.”

“Oh, I know! But she did order it and I thought I saw something in her room. Maybe she brought an animal?”

Bruce interrupted, “I think we’re getting off-topic here.”

“Wait, wait! One last thing!” Tim increased the drama for this performance, finding that he was having way too much fun imitating the little freakout. Tim coughed, “‘This is a DISASTER!’”

Jason smiled at Damian, “Oh my god, she’s a total spazz. I love that for you.”

Damian glared, “Jesus Todd if you don’t stop with the matchmaking jokes I swear I’ll main you.”

Jason jumped up and threw his fist into the air victoriously, “Did you see that? He threatened me! Pay up!”

Bruce looked tired, “What on earth are you talking about?”

Dick took out his wallet begrudgingly, “We were placing bets over who Damian would threaten first once he started to get back to normal.”

Damian turned to Dick, “I’m right here and what do you mean ‘normal’?”

“BOYS!” Bruce groaned, “It’s great to know Damian didn’t intentionally insult Marinette, but we still have to come up with a plan here.”

Jason sat back down, “Right. Okay, so we get Tim to make a PowerPoint with all her lies on it and debunks for all of them, Dick gets the class to get together to watch the presentation, Damian takes Marinette somewhere to keep her distracted and apologize (because you should, don’t even start with me), and I get a lifesaver to put over her head and throw her overboard after she’s exposed.”

Tim thought for a second, “What time is the presentation? And how long is the PowerPoint?”

Dick was in disbelief, “How the hell am I supposed to get them all together? There isn’t an itinerary on the trip! They won’t all be together!”

“Figure it out, bluebird.”

Bruce raised his voice in a feeble attempt to regain control, “We are not throwing anybody overboard!”

“Killjoy.”

Damian handed Tim’s phone back to him before speaking up, “Well, first I need to talk to her.”

Dick smirked, “Miss her already?”

“I will murder you in your sleep, Grayson.” Damian took a deep, “I have to apologize for my actions.”

Dick nodded, “After that, we can just plan to debunk her lies as they start to come out. She seems to be the type to lie often.”

Bruce nodded and stood up, “Great, now if you’ll excuse me I have a meeting at 11 and would like to get a bit of sleep beforehand. Goodnight.” The boys all said their goodnights as he left and as soon as Bruce left the room Jason turned back to his brothers.

“Okay, if we set the presentation at 11 he can’t stop us.”

“Jason, no!” Dick stared down Jason, “This girl clearly has a grip on the class and if we don’t do this right she’ll probably just spin it in a way that’ll make things worse.”

Jason pouted and leaned back, “Fine! We’ll do it your way!”

Tim shook his head and yawned, thinking back to what Marinette had told him about looking like he needed sleep. Tim started to head for the exit and turned back to his brothers, “We should see her at brunch tomorrow and we can have her sit with us. She’ll be a bit awkward because of Damian, but hopefully we can get her to open up and Jason can finally meet her.”

“Finally!”

“And where exactly are you going?”

“I’m going to bed Damian, it’s late.” The three stared at him, “What?”

Dick looked amused, “Really? No coffee tonight?”

“Marinette said something about me looking like I haven’t slept in days. It’s time I just try to knock out.” He looked over at Damian, “By the way, the blackout was a nice touch.” Damian narrowed his eyes as a small warning not to proceed further with this conversation. Tim’s expression sobered a bit, “You know it’s okay to be upset with how she reacted. I mean, it makes sense, but she shouldn’t have yelled at you like that. I know she regrets it too.”

Damian sighed, “Looks like we both will have things to talk about tomorrow.”

Tim held the door open for his brothers, “I think it’s time we go to bed. I promised her that tomorrow would be better and the quicker we all go to be the quick I can follow through.” The boys all trickled out one by one and as they left the room they all were hit with a wave of sleepiness that they couldn’t fight. “We’ll meet at brunch.” The boys all gave very tired agreements, Jason just grunted, and they went their separate ways to their different rooms.

Tim went up a few flights of stairs and rounded a corner to a hidden dumbwaiter embedded in the wall. Part of the ships’ older section before the renovations and remained nearly unused until Tim found it. He crawled inside and the dumbwaiter took him all the way up to the level 3 deck. Tim crawled back out and walked down the hall to his room. Tim changed and instead of doing his normal nightly routine of being on his phone or computer until exhaustion hit him, he simply laid down on his bed and stared at the ceiling. He thought about how the girl threw a punch almost on instinct and she didn’t flinch when he blocked it. He thought about the way she kept up with him despite the speed of Tim’s running and the convoluted route they took. He thought about the strange figure in her room he saw move about in the darkness. Tim figured she wasn’t normal, but he also knew he shouldn’t jump to any conclusions.

Tim closed his eyes and took some deep breaths. He was relieved hearing Damian threaten them again. That spark was a bit brighter than before and he knew it was due to Marinette’s influence. What she did or what she said remained between the two, but it was enough to catch a glimpse of the little brother they all knew. The one they’ve missed. He thought about how their dynamic might look like and laughed quietly to himself.

Opposites. Marinette was clearly very extroverted while Damian kept things guarded. She was more optimistic while Damian kept a pessimistic viewpoint. Marinette wore bright colors so that people knew she was there, more so now to get her friends to acknowledge her, while Damian wore black and other neutral colors to stay hidden and out of the limelight. They were going to get on each other’s nerves for sure, but when he plays back the footage of their moment under the stars he sees that they work. While he couldn’t hear anything, he could tell they seem comfortable and balanced. Tim began to drift off and yawned. Muttering to no one in particular he said, “They’ll be good for each other.”

He meant it. While opposites, the two shared a fierce loyalty to the people they cared for that he hasn’t seen in other people. Damian's was clear when he went against his mother and fought against her to stay with Bruce and stay Robin. Marinette’s is clear if you just read her paper. He felt darkness consume him as it cradled his thoughts for another time, letting him finally drift off into a deep sleep. 

It didn't last.

“Wake up already, Todd.” Tim groaned and he cracked open one eye only to find his brothers standing over him. Tim buried his face back into his pillow, “Ten more minutes.”

“I brought coffee.”

He went back to his original position to look at Dick, “Black coffee or latte?”

“Latte. Iced. Just how you like it.” Tim reluctantly sat up and gladly accepted the caffeine. He didn’t need it today, today he actually felt refreshed and rested, but it was a comfort to have the drink anyway like many people his age. This was his little piece of normal he kept with him. “You actually look like a person of the living today, you should sleep more often.”

“Yeah, I feel like one too.” Tim stretched and rubbed his eyes, “What time is it?”

“Almost time for brunch to start on the main deck, that’s why we came to retrieve you.” Damian tossed a few clothing items onto the bed in front of him and Tim just looked at them.

“Then why are you here?”

“Clearly she’s the most comfortable with you right now. If this conversation is going to go smoothly your presence is required.” Tim rolled his eyes, Damian always did like to use bigger words when giving orders. 

Tim sighed and reluctantly left his little pocket of warmth on the bed. “Okay fine, I’ll take a quick shower and we can head out okay?”

Jason looked anxious, “Okay but hurry up. I’m still pissed that you’ve all met her already.”

“To be fair we didn’t exactly ‘meet’, she ran into me.”

“Get out already!” Tim pushed his brothers out of the room, “I’ll meet you there in 20 minutes.” Tim showered and got dressed in the clothes Damian gave him, the outfit toed the line between casual and business casual and he didn’t oppose it. As promised, he met the boys outside the bustling dining room and looked inside. He saw Marinette laughing with a small pink-haired girl in her class before Lila called her away, leaving Marinette alone again.

Dick shook his head, “She’s been doing that since they got here. Anytime someone starts talking to Marinette she gets them to leave her by herself.”

Jason glared, “Please can we go with my plan?”

The three curtly replied with a firm, “No!”

Marinette sat a small table by herself and Tim straighten out his collar, “That’s our opportunity, let’s go.” The three nodded and went into the room together, being immediately greeted by any passenger and crew member that passed them. They got themselves plates and Tim was the first to walk over to her. “Hey.”

Marinette jumped and turned to Tim, “You scared me!” Tim laughed and she smiled, “Good morning though. Would you like to sit?”

“Only if you don’t mind that I brought a few people.”

“Not at all! Please tell them to come over!” Tim nodded and the brothers made their way over to the table. Her eyes landed on Dick first, “I still haven’t apologized for bumping into you. Hi, my name is Marinette.”

Dick shrugged, “Don’t worry about it. Weirder stuff has happened on this ship. I’m Richard Grayson, but everyone calls me Dick.”

Marinette nodded and turned to Jason, who looked like he was going to burst any second. “I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m-”

Jason put his plate down next to her and grabbed her hand shaking it vigorously, “I’m Jason Todd and I am a huge fan! I’ve been dying to meet you since reading your paper!”

Marinette looked unsure of what to do and Tim shrugged, “Yeah, we’ve never seen him like this before so we don’t know what to do either. Just be glad he likes you.”

Marinette nodded and motioned for him to sit next to her, something he gladly accepted. Lastly, Damian came into view and Marinette’s whole body stiffened. She got up and walked over to him, “I am so sorry for last night! You were nothing but nice to me and I had no reason to react like that.”

Damian quickly interjected, “You wouldn’t have reacted that way if I didn’t hide who I was. I’m sorry I made you feel like you couldn’t trust me.”

“But if I didn’t just-”

“Girls, girls,” Dick interrupted the two and motioned for them to sit down. “You’re both pretty. Now can we sit down and eat?”

Marinette looked like she wanted to say more but instead sighed. She turned to Damian, “Are we good? I really don’t know what happened to me last night.”

Damian wore a similar expression but nodded, “We’re good.” Marinette looked extremely relieved and took her seat between Tim and Jason and the five sat in comfortable silence before Jason perked up.

“So Marinette, tell me something.” She nodded, “Why is our guest of honor sitting all the way over here by herself?”

“Jason!”

“What? It’s a valid question! She got them on here in the first place, they should at least eat with her.”

Marinette tried to ease the situation, “It’s fine really! I’m just glad they’re having fun together!”

“Are you having fun?” She turned to Damian who had his eyes set on the class before looking back at her, “Being on a cruise ship is great and all but if you don’t have other people to enjoy it with then it just becomes another boat after the glamor wears off.”

Marinette sighed, “My friend Alya was supposed to sit with me today, but something came up.”

“Is that something Lila Rossi?”

“Jason!”

“Dick!”

Marinette glared at Tim, “You told them?”

Tim shrugged, “I told you I was doing damage control, telling them the circumstances is part of that.”

Marinette took a deep breath before looking at the table in front of her, “How much do you guys know?”

“Enough.”

“That literally tells me nothing.”

Damian frowned, “It means what it means, we know enough to know that she’s been at this for a while. We also know that a few months ago you’re friends started to distance themselves from you and flock to her.” Marinette looked up from the table and met his eye, “Question is why?”

Marinette could feel the table’s eyes on her and she groaned, “I don’t know. They all just started canceling on me, putting me off, or stopped talking to me altogether.”

Dick sent her a sympathetic look and asked, “Does anyone in your class know?” Marinette huffed and gripped onto her fork tighter, but she didn’t respond. “Marinette?”

“Can we not talk about this?”

“I think we should talk about this if it’s causing you this much stress.”

Marinette glared at the boy across from her, “What if I don’t want to talk about it, Damian?”

“Then you blow me off like you blew off the Agreste kid.”

Marinette snapped, “You don’t know anything about that!”

Damian grew frustrated, “Why are you getting mad at me? We’re trying to help!”

“I know, but I didn’t ask to be interrogated during breakfast!”

Dick tried to intervene, noticing other tables looking over, “Guys I think we should talk outside-”

“No!” Damian crossed his arms and leaned back, “Please do tell us how you were going to spend this cruise ride! Were you just going to explore the ship by yourself, waiting for someone to include you in their little group which, newsflash, they would’ve done by now if they wanted you to join them!” He huffed and reflected Marinette’s glare right back at him, “Face it, you were just going to be all by yourself without any friends because you refuse to do anything about Lila.”

Marinette stood up abruptly and slammed her fist on the table. That definitely caught everyone’s attention as they all stared at her. She looked angry, but there was also a panic that hid behind her eyes as she struggled to keep her voice under control. “You don’t know anything about this. Anything about me.” She looked behind Damian and stared for a moment before storming off. Tim turned to see what she was looking at and he noticed Lila intently watching the table, enjoying the whole scene.

Jason and Dick grabbed Damian by his arms and the three dragged his out of the dining hall into an empty recreation room. “Jesus Damian, I know you’re blunt but what the hell was that?!”

“She’s being ridiculous! She should just out Lila already.”

Jason snapped at him, “There’s clearly a reason why she hasn’t if you haven’t noticed!”

“It’s easier my way!”

Dick smacked the back of his head, “Oh yeah, because your little conversation just now went so well!”

“Grayson, I swear I’ll-”

“She’s crying.” The three stopped and looked over at Tim holding his phone out to them. Security footage showed the girl by herself curled into herself against the wall and shaking.

Jason shook his head, “You messed up big time, Damian.”

Dick glared at his little brother, “What the hell were you thinking anyway? That yelling was going to solve her problems?

“I don’t know!” He ran his hands through his hair, “I just got so frustrated with her!”

“We could see that.”

“Todd, I swear to god.”

Tim snapped to get their attention back, “Who’s going to go after her?”

“Looks like someone’s already there.” The four looked at a boy crouch down in front of her and Marinette immediately seemed uncomfortable.

Damian narrowed his eyes, “That’s the Agreste kid.”

“The one she’s avoiding?”

“Well doesn’t look like it now.” They watched as Adrien coaxed her out of her little ball and lead her to a separate part of the ship. “Where are they heading?”

“I don’t know but she looks likes she doesn’t want to be around him.” Noting her body language and the way she distanced herself, it’s easy to see she would rather be anywhere else but there.

“Looks like they’re heading into one of the rec rooms.” They watched as they set their things down carefully before walking onto the wrestling mat.

“Tim, can you get audio running?”

“I tried but I can’t do it through my phone.” They watched as they had some kind of discussion before Adrien charged at her.

Damian was the first to react by peeling himself away from his brothers and running to the rec room where the two were fighting. He could hear his brothers in close pursuit and he realized nothing made sense with this class. “What the hell is she thinking?”

Marinette threw herself to the side dodging Adrien’s attack and went for a sweep kick. He led her into a nearby rec room and suggested they talk. She was hesitant but obliged because Damian was right, she needed to deal with this. When Adrien got on the mat, she was confused and he pointed out many of their most honest conversations were in the heat of battle. Getting their frustrations out through sparring and communicating with each other would normally not mix, but she agreed. They weren’t normal and she could see his logic. Adrien dodged the kick and jumped back calculating the situation for a bit. “Why did you run that night?”

He threw a punch and she blocked it and tried to counter, “I couldn’t deal with it.”

He took the hit but rebounded almost immediately, “Why?” Marinette charged at him, trying to flank right but he threw himself onto the mat and rolled out of the way.

She straightened herself out, “Because you don’t have my back, Adrien!” She threw a punch and he caught it.

“What are you talking about? I always have your back.” He tried to flip her over his shoulder, but she took the fall gracefully and got right back up.

“No. You have Ladybug’s back. Meanwhile, Marinette has had to deal with Lila turning the school against her by herself!” Marinette dodged Adrien’s roundhouse kick and staggered back. “It took you finding out about Ladybug to even talk to me again!”

“It’s not like she made everyone hate you!”

“I might as well not exist anymore!” Marinette paused to catch her breath, “Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed the change.”

Adrien wiped some of the sweat away from his face, “I noticed.” Marinette charged at him and tried to flip him onto his back.

“Then why didn’t you say anything!?” Adrien reversed the stunt and threw Marinette down onto the mat. She coughed and picked herself back up.

“Because Lila is really prone to be akumatized.”

“I could’ve been akumatized! I almost was a few times!” That caught him off guard and she took that opportunity to land a solid hit on his face.

Adrien flinched, “Look Marinette, I’m sorry I haven’t been there for you, but I promise I do care!”

“Then why do I still feel alone?!” They charged at each other and each held their own as the other struggled to topple the other. “You left me!”

“I didn’t mean to!” Marinette fell back and used the motion to flip Adrien over.

Marinette tried her best to keep her voice even, “Why are we here Adrien?” Adrien shook his head and picked himself back up.

“I need to know if I’m still your partner!” Marinette paused, panting as she thought over his words. Adrien extended a hand to her and she accepted the help up. “It was a shock to me too. I felt terrible because I knew I haven’t been a good friend recently to my best friend.”

Marinette walked backward to give space before trying to attack, “No you haven’t.”

“I want that to change though!” Adrien aimed for the legs and Marinette jumped over him, gracefully dodging the attack. “I can’t lose you! I can’t lose having Ladybug to fight with and I can’t lose both Marinette and Ladybug!” She tried a frontal attack only for it to be reversed and her ending up in Adrien’s iron grip.

Marinette struggled, “Adrien you’re being ridiculous!”

“I’m being serious!” She wiggled herself out of his grip and landed a solid punch in his right cheek. He shook his head as he processed the hit, “Nice punch.”

“Thanks.”

He held his cheek and moved his jaw in a motion that her worry she might’ve actually done some bad damage. Instead, he shook his head and focused back on her, “Seriously though, I want to make it up to you.”

“You understand why I’m hesitant though, right? This all came about after you found out I was Ladybug. How do I know you’re genuine?”

Adrien took out a familiar little charm she gave him when they were younger, “I was hoping to make it up to Marinette already. The Ladybug thing wouldn’t have changed that.”

She paused for a moment before throwing herself at him. He easily overpowered the clumsy attack and threw her down with a hard thud. She blew some hair out of her face and looked at the boy pinning her down, “You’re full of surprises Adrien, you know that?”

Adrien rolled his eyes, “I try.”

The loud bang of the door slamming open resonated throughout the room, making the two teens tense. Just then four familiar boys charged into the room and Adrien was tackled off of her. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”

Adrien paused for a second, “Damian?”

Marinette sat up, “Damian, get off of him.”

“What?”

“Now, please.” Damian reluctantly backed away and glared at the blonde.

Adrien chuckled, “Friends of yours?”

Marinette’s eyes darted to Damian, “That’s yet to be determined.” He didn’t miss the animosity they held. “What are you doing here?”

Dick perked up, happy to provide an answer, “We saw you two fighting and thought you were in trouble.”

Jason glared at Adrien, “Yeah, what the hell were you thinking? Why the hell were you fighting?”

Adrien picked himself off the ground, “Sparring.”

“What?”

Marinette walked over Adrien’s side and turned his face over to see the forming bruise on his cheek, “Sparring.” Adrien pulled away and the four boys didn’t miss the way the two seemed to communicate without a word before turning back to them.

Tim was suspicious, “Why are you two sparring?”

Adrien spoke up first, “We train together frequently to help protect ourselves during Akuma attacks.”

Marinette nodded and sighed, “Our class seems to be an epicenter for Akuma attacks for some reason. Many of our classmates have taken up things like running or weightlifting to order to stay in shape should an Akuma attack occur and they need to run away. Adrien and I are different, we spar together because we’ve both had close encounters with a number of different Akumas specifically targeting one of us.” She rubbed her arm and drew into herself, “I’m sorry I worried you.”

Jason raised his hand and Marinette pointed at him, confused by the classroom etiquette he decided to adopt. “I have a few things to ask. One, did you make that bruise? Because it looks bad and I’m so proud. Two, what do you mean Akuma specifically have targeted you? Three, are you two dating?”

“Jason!”

Marinette and Adrien looked at each other for a moment and then turned away with pained expressions. Adrien spoke up first, “First, yeah she threw this hit. By the way, if my father finds out you damaged the goods he’s going to be mad.”

Marinette snorted, “Yeah right. And I can just tell your father how you’ve been a jerk for the past few months.”

Adrien put a hand over his heart and dramatically gasped, “Me-ouch, princess.”

Marinette rolled her eyes, “Ignore him.” She looked at the boys in front of her patiently waiting on their answers and she bit the inside of her cheek. “Yeah, we’ve been targets a few times now.”

“Targets?”

Adrien nodded, “Yeah, targets. The way Akumas work is that they are made when someone gets too overcome with their negative emotions. Many times, those emotions are caused by a certain person or group of people so when the person gets akumatized they immediately seek those people out.” Adrien took a deep breath and leaned against the nearest wall, “Hawkmoth has held Paris captive this way. He can just sense when someone is at their lowest and uses those emotions against them.”

Marinette sighed, “People try to do mindfulness stuff, but ultimately it’s made people afraid of confrontation and their own emotions. I mean, he akumatized a baby a few times! The people of Paris can’t live the way they used to. Always afraid of getting overwhelmed. Always on edge, because if they confront someone on an issue they risk being the cause of an Akuma.” She rubbed her temples and glared at Damian, “There are a lot of things we just can’t do, no matter how much easier it may seem.” Damian flinched back and rubbed the back of his neck. Marinette shook her head and turned back to Jason, “And no, we aren’t dating.”

“I mean-”

Marinette snapped her head over to Adrien, “Don’t start. I’m still mad at you.”

Adrien put his hands up in surrender, “Joking! Joking!” Marinette shook her head and kicked herself for not seeing the similarities between Cat Noir and Adrien sooner.

Jason breathed a sigh of relief and turned to Damian, “Hey, don’t you have something to say to her?”

Damian tried to back away slowly, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Dick and Tim came up behind him and pushed Damian forward onto the mat in front of Marinette. “Traitors.”

Marinette raised an eyebrow and looked over at Adrien. Adrien held eye contact for a moment before narrowing his eyes at Damien, “Oh. This is why you were in the hallway. You need help?”

Marinette pushed him away, “No, no. Go sit in the peanut gallery.”

Adrien smirked and walked past Damian, intentionally bumping shoulders before he stood next to the other brothers. “I’m Adrien Agreste by the way.”

“Tim Drake.”

“Dick Grayson.”

“Jason Todd and what is she doing?”

Adrien looked back over to Marinette as she circled Damian slowly, calculating him. Suddenly she threw a hard punch and the loud slap it made when Damian blocked it caught the brothers off guard. Adrien whistled and smirked, “Somebody’s mad.”

Damian shook his hand when Marinette pulled away and got into a defensive stance, “You don’t want to fight me, Marinette.”

She sprinted forward and attempted to trip him with another sweep kick which he seemed to dodge almost effortlessly. “Sparring.” They two circled each other, walking along the outside of the mat. “Admit that you know nothing about me.”

“What?” She didn’t give him a chance to think it over and attempted another frontal attack. Same results, Damian flipped out of the way without breaking a sweat. “What are we doing?!”

Marinette straightened herself out, “When you’re in the heat of the moment you don’t have time to overthink your answers. It makes you honest, dangerously honest.”

Damian narrowed his eyes at her before charging forward and kicking her legs out from under her, “You don’t know who you’re messing with.”

She grabbed one of his legs and pulled, making him fall backward and he sent a glare her way. “Out of the two of us, am I really the bad guy here. Really? After what you just said to me.”

Damian growled and picked himself back up, “It’s easier my way!”

Marinette stood up and despite the height difference, she looked intimidating to those watching her. “Maybe it is, but clearly you didn’t hear us.” She threw herself at him and managed to get Damian pinned under her, “If I do something she could become an Akuma and that’s what we’re trying to avoid!”

“‘We’re’?” Tim looked over at Adrien, “You knew?” Adrien made a face before nodding, “What the hell? Where were you when she was feeling alone and left behind?”

Adrien flinched, “I wasn’t around like I was supposed to. I know that, but that’s why we came here. That’s why we sparred. I needed to apologize.” Adrien looked over at Marinette not giving Damian any leeway to pick himself up, “By the looks of it, I’m not the only one.”

Damian struggled against her and grew more frustrated before just yelling, “How the hell are you doing that?!”

Marinette kept him in place and didn’t even flinch, “I’m sorry?” She looked up at Jason with a sick smile on her face, “Hey did that sound like an apology to you?”

Jason had no clue what was going on but looked like he was loving every minute of it. He was recording the whole ordeal on his phone. With a grin on his face and mischief in his eyes, he immediately said, “Nope!”

Damian glared at his brother before finally giving up at struggling against the small girl. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry, okay? Get off!”

Dick shook his head, “Mean it, little D!”

“Grayson, can it!” Damian finally looked Marinette in the eye and noticed some things. He noticed that they were still a little puffy and pink, reminding him that she was crying. He noticed her eyes still looked a bit glossy meaning she could cry at any minute. He noticed how intently she kept her attention on him, reminding him that he messed up. He sighed and his expression softened a bit, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to argue with you, I swear I really just wanted to help. I didn’t realize the situation and assumed that you were just a coward.” He tried his best to look as sincere as his words, “I didn’t mean to make you cry or cause a scene. I only wanted to help.”

Marinette studies his face for a second before pulling him off the ground and straightening out his clothes. “Thin ice.”

“What?”

“You’re on thin ice.” She pulled away from him and sighed, “You really upset me today. You pointed out a lot of my fears and insecurities and used it against me.” Damian watched as she backed away from him slowly, “But I don’t distrust you.” She bit her lip, “I want to be friends, Damian. But the way you acted-”

“Oh my!” Everyone looked back at Lila messing with something on her phone, “I can’t believe our own class president attacked and pinned down the Damian Wayne. Does the rest of the class know you can be such a bully?”

Adrien pushed the boys out of the way to get a better look at Lila and her phone, “Lila, what did you do?”

“Nothing Adrien! Just took a few pictures!” Lila swiped through her phone, “In this one, you can tell he’s struggling against her.”

Marinette pulled herself away from Damian’s side and ran over to Lila, “Lila, please you can’t! This isn’t what it looks like, we weren’t fighting!”

Lila hummed, “Pity, these pictures say otherwise.” Lila looked past her and winked at Damian, “Although, I can’t say I blame you for pinning him down.”

Damian shuttered and Jason growled, “Hey!”

Lila looked over and sneered, “Oh, it’s you again. You look different in this lighting.”

“Yeah, me. You have some nerve-”

Lila pulled up her hand and held it to face him while she stared down Marinette, “Now what exactly do you think Mr. Damocles will say when he sees these pictures of you charging at Bruce Wayne’s son?”

“It’s not like that!”

“I bet if you looked at the footage, it’ll show you charged first.”

Marinette tensed and Adrien growled, “Lila, give us the phone or-”

“Or what, Adrien?” She glared at her blonde classmate, sizing him up before frowning. “You aren’t even a 3rd place prize for what I have in mind.” Lila snapped back to Marinette, “You know, I bet Alya would love to see these! She could post it on the LadyBlog!” Lila walked forward and Marinette retreated back after every step, “Remember what I told you Marinette? I’ll have everyone by my side and you’ll be left all alone with no friends.” Marinette fell backward, tripping over the mat and Lila just stood over her arrogantly, “You should’ve listened to me that first day I was back.”

“Okay, that’s it!” Dick scrambled to hold Jason back from stomping over to Lila, “I am not afraid to throw hands with a child!”

Dick struggled to keep his grip, “I know, that’s the problem!” He looked over at Tim who was playing with something on his phone, “Seriously Tim?”

Damian watched the two girls and suddenly understood everything. To be honest, she reminded him of his mother. Manipulative, controlling, tactical, and cold. He felt himself become sick, looking at the two brought up some memories once deeply hidden in his mind from back when he was still training in the League of Assassins. It took Adrien marching over and grabbing Lila by the arm to snap him out of it. Talia would’ve never let anyone come that close, Lila isn’t Talia, Marinette is still on the ground, and he still has had yet to do anything during the whole thing.

Lila glared at Adrien, “What?”

“Give me the phone now.”

“Why?”

“Now, Lila! I already told you, I don’t care about the white lies, but you can’t hurt somebody I care about!”

Lila kept Adrien’s gaze and without breaking concentration, she tapped on her phone and she smiled. “Sent.”

Marinette’s heart dropped, “Sent to who?”

“Oh, you know. Everyone.” Lila laughed at Marinette and Adrien’s faces as they processed her words. “I’ll see you at the big award ceremony tonight! I’m sure everyone would love to see you after seeing those photos.” Lila pushed past Adrien and ignored the other four boys in the room entirely. Without looking back Lila condescendingly said, “Oh, and congratulations Marinette.” Lila walked herself out the weight room and no one in the room knew how to react.

Jason finally got out of Dick’s grip and went over to Marinette, still sitting on the ground, “Hey, Mari-”

“This is it.” She curled into herself and laid her head against her knees, “I’m going to lose them all this time. It’s over.”

Dick walked over and placed a hand on her shoulder, “We’re witnesses, there’s no way she can go against our word.”

“Then you don’t know Lila.” Adrien ran his fingers through his hair and puffed out some air, “She’s a master of manipulation. Even when Marinette had facts and my word for it, people still didn’t believe her.” 

Damian felt conflicted, he had absolutely no clue on how to comfort her. His brothers were the people persons. He knew how to kill a person 30 different ways with a spoon, but literally had no clue how to approach this situation. Bullies were bad, but they were normal. Too normal for Damian to know how to approach. He deals with thugs, terrorists, and crazed villains, but a teenage girl? Damian really did not know what to do. Everything in his body told him to straight-up punch the girl out and destroy the phone, but she was defenseless. Her only weapon where the pictures and she wasted no time to press send.

Damian kicked himself in for not reacting. He just suddenly froze, fear and anxiety mixed into his mind with the bad memories of his mother. He couldn’t comprehend it. Damian Wayne didn’t freeze. Robin never froze. Damian heard the sound of a phone notification and turned his head to Tim, “What are you doing?”

“Give me a second!” He tapped a few more things on his screen and suddenly everyone in the room got phone notifications from an unknown number. Damian opened it up and these were definitely Lila’s pictures. “Redirection. She hit send, but I was quick enough to redirect the photos.”

“And about the photos on her phone, boy genius?”

Damian walked over to Marinette and crouched down in front of her. She looked up at him, wiping away quickly forming tears. Damian looked determined and boldly stated, “We’re going steal the phone at the dinner tonight and delete them ourselves.”


	5. Dining

Marinette looked at herself in the mirror and sighed before turning to Alya and Chloe. “Really? This one?” The other two girls were too busy exploring the suite Marinette was in and Marinette pouted, “Alya! Chloe!”

Chloe didn’t even look back, “Yeah, yeah, you look great. Now how do I get a room like this?”

Alya shook her head and walked over to Marinette, “You look great. You should really wear red more often, it makes you pop!” Alya circled around her before giving a small hum, “Why do I feel like you’re missing something?”

Chloe walked over and looked at Marinette with a critical eye, “You need a necklace or something. Also, curl the ends of that ponytail more. I want to see them bounce.” Marinette moved back to the vanity and Alya took to curling her hair while Chloe looked through the luggage. “Do you not have a necklace?”

Marinette sheepishly answered, “No.” Chloe groaned and walked back over, reaching behind her head and unclasping her own necklace. “Chloe, no-”

Alya moved away and allowed Chloe to put the necklace on Marinette’s neck, “It’s black so it goes with the dress.” She looked at Marinette in the mirror before giggling, “Oh my god, I’m getting Ladybug vibes now.”

Alya shook her head before finishing off Marinette’s hair, “No way, have you seen her walk? As much as I love you Marinette, Nino and I have a bet as to whether or not you’ll fall on stage.”

Marinette stuck out her tongue in the mirror and Alya laughed. “Good to know you guys have faith.”

Chloe helped Marinette up, “Ignore her. Your heels are not that tall anyway.” If you told a younger Marinette that she would become friends with Chloe, she would have sworn pigs could fly. Still, Lila’s grasp over the school threatened Chloe’s popularity and status. Chloe couldn’t figure this new girl out and she was frustrated with the whole situation. The only other people who weren’t wrapped around the girl’s finger were Adrien and Marinette. Chloe really didn’t want to, but Lila wouldn’t Adrien out of her sight and Chloe was getting anxious being by herself. The two girls, though awkward, started to talk and bonded over their distrust of their classmate. Chloe’s disdain for Lila hit it’s high when, as Queen Bee, was told by Ladybug that Lila has been the cause of several Akumas as well as willingly letting herself become an Akuma. Ladybug asked her to be her insider, to avoid letting Lila know that she knows, and Chloe took this role seriously. She would hang around Lila, but for information and nothing more. Chloe always found her way back to her new friend in Dupain-Cheng and here she stood offering her assistance with an outfit. “You’ll be fine. If you aren’t, then we can’t hang out anymore.” Marinette rolled her eyes and smiled.

Marinette stood up and looked at herself before seeing the flash of a camera. She turned and noticed Alya taking photos, “What are you doing?”

“Don’t you want to remember this? When we’re old and frail and living in a nursing home together?” Marinette could hear Alya’s nails tapping against her phone screen, but before she could ask anything Alya laughed. “You’ll give those Wayne boys a run for their money looking like that.”

Marinette could feel her face heat up and shook her head, “What are you talking about?”

Chloe smirked, “I heard from a little birdie that one of the Wayne boys were seen leaving your room by the staff. Who was it and why were we not told sooner? Really Marinette? Making me find out through the help?”

Marinette groaned and rubbed her temples, “First off, let me start by saying nothing happened.”

“So the rumor was true!? Girl, I thought we told each other everything!” Alya threw herself onto the bed and dramatically wailed, “My BFF! How could she leave me in the dark like that? After everything we’ve been through!”

Chloe sat down next to Alya and patted down her hair, “There, there. She didn’t tell either of us.” Chloe pouted, “Seriously though, first the cruise now a romance with a Wayne-”

“I don’t like Tim like that!”

Alya snapped her head up and grinned, “Oh! So it was Tim now? Damn, I thought it was Damian.”

Marinette cursed herself for falling into that one, “Yeah. I got lost and he helped me out. We just talked and he left once it got late. He’s one of the first friends I’ve made since getting on the boat. Him and the Captain.”

Chloe narrowed her eyes at something on Marinette’s desk, “Is that why you have that god awful captain hat?”

Marinette walked over and hovered the cap over her head, “Captain Staller said I was a natural-born leader!”

Alya sat up and nodded, “Makes sense, you are the class president.”

Marinette winked before carefully folding the hat and placing into her purse, careful not to disturb Tikki. “I hope to see everyone at dinner! I want to ask Captain Staller about his collection of boats in a bottle.” Marinette got a wistful look in her eye, “The detail on those things are incredible and I can’t even imagine how they set them up through that tiny little opening in the bottle.”

Chloe groaned, “If she keeps talking we’re going to be late. Césaire, do something.” 

Alya felt herself melt into the mattress, “Hm? What?” Chloe grabbed her arm and yanked her off the bed, “Aw come on!”

Marinette laughed, genuinely laughed, for the first time with her girlfriends in weeks. She felt like herself again. The only problem was her dread over Lila’s phone. Tim and Jason swore that everything was going to be alright, Tim promised and Jason was ready to make a blood pact if necessary. Adrien and Dick coaxed her out of curled up position and Adrien took her back to her room. Damian looked at his brothers and a small moment of nonverbal communication passed between them before he left the room. A few minutes after arriving to her room, Alya and Chloe were brought over. Adrien left with Damian and she has not heard from any of them since. In this moment and in this room, laughing and gossiping with her friends, she didn’t particularly care. However, she knew that as soon as she left her room’s door she’d be open and vulnerable. She thought back to Master Fu’s words, about being able to feel with safe people in a safe place, and wonders if this is what he meant.

Chloe grabbed Marinette’s arm and dragged the two girls out of the room, “Let’s go! I am not missing any part of this dinner!”

Marinette and Alya groaned before locking eyes with each other and laughing. Soon, there were three girls, in three different colored dresses, with three different hairstyles, all laughing in the same hallway.

Meanwhile, Adrien was fixing Nino’s collar and struggling. “Come on Nino, Alya will be here soon. Don’t you want to look good?”

Nino, completely with a completely neutral expression, simply said, “If she cares about looks, she wouldn’t be dating me.”

Adrien snorted and nudged Nino, breaking his façade. Adrien looked around the dining hall and analyzed the event before him. He’s been part of fashion galas and fancy dinners, but this didn’t have the same air of tension that the other events held. He didn’t feel suffocated by expectations. He wasn’t here to represent the Agreste brand. He was able to just be Adrien. It was similar to the feeling of freedom he first felt when he transformed. Adrien took a deep breath and sighed. “Do you think tonight will be a good night?”

“I hope so, otherwise Marinette would’ve done all this for nothing.” Nino took a sip from his punch and sat back in his chair. “Where are they?”

Adrien rolled his eyes, “They’ll be here soon.” Adrien’s eyes flickered over to something moving towards him in his peripheral vision, it was Dick. “Hey, I’ll be back in a second.”

“Oh yeah, just leave me!” Nino sniffed and frowned, “My best friend! Leaving me? Oh, what a world.” Adrien pinched the bridge of his nose and smiled at his friend before Nino finally broke, “Okay! Go! I’ll save the table!” Adrien grabbed Nino’s head and kissed the top of it, leaving before Nino could push him away. “Had it not been for the laws of this land, I would’ve killed you!”

Adrien shot Nino back some finger guns before yelling back, “Love you too!” Adrien jogged over to Dick chuckling, “What?”

“Bromance or Romance?”

Adrien posed in a way so others would perceive him to be in deep thought before finally saying, “Bromance.”

“You really had to think about it that much?”

“Well, it would’ve been easier if Alya wasn’t dating him.” Adrien couldn’t help but grin, he was joking around with another socialite and wasn’t reprimanded. He could be himself and he was loving every second of it. Dick handed him a small device, “What is this?”

“An earpiece. Wear it so we can make sure this operation gets done before Marinette even arrives.” Adrien nodded and put the device in his ear.

Soon he heard a small second of static before clearly hearing Tim’s voice, “Lila should be arriving at the dining hall in less than a minute. Everyone ready?”

“Ready.”

“Good to go. Also, tell me again why we aren’t doing the powerpoint.”

“Affirmative and because Marinette clearly doesn’t want to aggravate this girl. Her enemy, her rules.”

“I have it in a flash drive just in case though.”

“Nice!”

“Wait, what am I supposed to even do?”

Dick just smirked, “You’re a model right?” Adrien nodded hesitantly, “On my word, I want you to just smile and look pretty.” Adrien didn’t know what was going on or anything about the plan they had cooked up. What he did know is that the mischief shining in Dick’s eyes gave him a sense of determination only ever felt by the black cat.

“It’s go time.”

Dick motioned for Adrien to follow him as he weaved his way into the crowd. He could see Lila walk in, she looked nice but she looked on edge. “Dick, I think she realized the pictures didn’t go through.”

“Then let’s be quick.” Dick tapped the shoulder of another socialite, older but reeked of old money. “How have you been, David?”

The man’s eyes crinkled as a smile grew on his face, “Dick, my boy! You’ve gotten so big!”

Dick laughed, “Hey David, you still bring a small group of paparazzi wherever you go?”

David laughed, “I don’t like it, but daughter and wife insist. They said I don’t take enough pictures, so might as well pay someone to do it for me. Plus, my wife likes them for her blog.”

Dick pointed at Lila as she walked deeper into the heart of the room, “You should take pictures with some of the kids on this trip! Show that you were just as supportive of this project as Bruce.” Dick leaned in close, “Plus some pictures with some pretty girls will make for some great photos!” Dick pushed Adrien forward and winked, “Take him with you too. Will lessen the creepy factor of your photos with the girl and appeal to a girl audience on your wife’s blog.”

David smiled and motioned for Adrien to follow him. Dick sent a small nod to Adrien and Adrien realized where this was heading. David walked up to Lila and asked for some photos. Lila looked confused and cautiously looked to Adrien for answers. Adrien played dumb, whispering to her that this guy was famous and wanted photos of some good looking kids. Adrien smiled, knowing that what he said caught Lila’s attention and she happily agreed to the pictures. David motioned for a small group to come over and soon the room was full of flashes. Blinding, but being used to being in front of a camera he saw Jason give his own signal to someone behind him. In his ear, he could hear Jason say, “You’re up, Damian.”

Out of the corner of his eye he could see someone grab Lila’s clutch, but she was too busy soaking up the attention and telling David stories of her adventures in Paris. Damian, on the other hand, quickly searched her purse for the phone and handed it off to Dick before closing the bag and handing it to another girl in the class. “Hey, I think your friend over there dropped this.”

The little blonde looked confused before noticing who exactly Damian was pointing at, “Oh, this is Lila’s? I’ll be sure to give it back to her!” The girl scurried off and Damian caught Jason’s eye, giving a subtle nod and giving Jason his cue.

“Don’t mess this up, Todd.”

“Shut up.” Jason pushed through the reporters and stood in front of the three, “Okay! Okay! That’s enough! If you want to take pictures, you can take them outside on the deck! Absolutely no flash photography until the award is given!” The small group huddled together and Jason’s eye twitched, “Did I stutter?!” That definitely got them to scurry off and he turned back to David and the kids. “Aren’t you a little old to be taking photos with children?”

David pulled his hands back behind his back, “Ah, yes. Hello to you too Jason.” The man straightened out his collar before leaving the area.

Lila glared at Jason before someone grabbed her arm, “Hey Lila, you dropped this!”

Lila hugged her friend, “Oh Rose! Thank you, I wouldn’t know what I would do without this! I have my pills for my vertigo in here!”

Adrien slowly backed away and made his over to Jason, “Where’s the phone?”

Jason walked with Adrien over to a secluded area of the hall, “I think Tim’s working on it right now.”

“You mean Tim’s done with it right now.” Adrien looked over to see the other three brothers gathered around Tim as he worked on the phone. Tim shut off the phone and handed it over to Adrien with a grin on his face, “No photos or anything else that could make Marinette look bad.”

Adrien was surprised, “She had more?”

Damian frowned, “She had a folder.”

Tim shrugged, “Nothing bad, just could be embarrassing.”

A smile suddenly spread on Dick’s face as he stared at one of the entrances, “There’s nothing embarrassing about that.” They all turned and saw three girls walk into the room. On the left, the blonde walked in a yellow and black dress with a haughty elegance about her. Still, the way she carried herself was not unapproachable and, in fact, rather inviting to those close to her. On the right, the redhead walked in with a nice orange dress that beckoned the eyes of those in the room without being desperate for attention. She was open, laughing, and proud of herself and the other two girls in her cohort. In the middle, the girl wore red with black shoes and accessories, smiling brighter than anyone in the room and clinging to the two girls beside her. She drew everyone’s attention while being completely unaware of her effect in the room.

Adrien smirked and mumbled to himself, “A little on the nose, don’t you think?” He was about to turn to the other boys to suggest greeting them, but was surprised as Jason ran over and picked up Marinette.

Even with the music and chatter, you could clearly hear Jason yell, “OH MY GOD, YOU LOOK SO CUTE!” Marinette’s face lit up a soft pink, but she laughed as the other girls laughed with her.

Tim shook his head, “Jesus, what the hell is wrong with him?”

Dick shrugged, “Maybe he has withdrawals from not using his guns?”

“Guns?”

“Ah, yes. It’s a hobby of his.” Tim sighed and stared at Damian, “Hey.” Damian didn’t hear him and Tim rolled his eyes before snapping his fingers in front of his face, “Hey! Earth to Damian! Hello!”

Damian blinked a few times before shaking his head and shoving away Tim’s hand. “What?”

“Go say hi to her.” Damian, in possibly the rarest show of emotion ever in his 15 years, blushed. Very subtle, but still a noticeable pink dusted his cheeks. “Oh my god, he feels.”

Dick had a look of nostalgia wash over him, “Oh my god, he reminds me of when I first saw Kori.”

“Shut up, both of you!” Damian turned to Adrien and snatched the phone away from him and handing it to a waiter, pointing at Lila. The waiter nodded and walked away before Damian suddenly pulled Adrien along as he stomped over to the girls. “Let’s go say hi already.”

Adrien felt a hilarious mix of joy and pity, he knew what it was like being so smitten by Marinette’s charm. About a year ago, when Hawkmoth and Mayura started to up the ante, Cat Noir and Ladybug had a very serious talk about responsibility and work ethic. Cat Noir realized two things that day. One, as much as he loved her, the crush wore off and was now left with a platonic love that knew no bounds. Two, he would still lay down the line for this girl despite the loss of feelings. They were partners and they needed to get better for Paris’ sake. Plagg supported his holder through the mixed feelings towards his lost love until he finally was at a spot where he accepted their new dynamic. It was healthier and he couldn’t be happier.

Despite the scowl on his face, Adrien could tell the boy was developing some kind of feelings. It radiated off of him, a sense of warmth that was only felt when he was around Marinette. Even when he fought her in the rec room, the feelings were there. If anything, they grew after she pinned him down. Adrien looked over and noticed they moved Nino to a bigger table and he yelled, “I’m back bro!”

Nino drew his eyes away from Alya and his expression softened, “Bro!” Nino threw himself at Adrien in a way that would suggest they haven’t seen each other in years while Alya scoffed.

“Are you sure I shouldn’t be worried about him?”

Nino pulled away, “Yeah, you should be. Don’t mess up, I have options.” Adrien snickered and Alya just stared her boyfriend down until he sat back by her side. “You’re my first choice, though.” Alya rolled her eyes and kissed his cheek.

Chloe ran up to Adrien and began chatting, leaving Damian on his own to figure out how to approach this situation. He noticed Jason and Marinette sitting next to each other, deep into a conversation and he saw it. The same glow he saw from the pictures way back before anything with Lila happened. For some reason, he felt anxious approaching the two. Jason suddenly looked up at him and motioned for him to come over. Marinette turned her head and she smiled at him, Damian tensed but willed himself to walk over. Jason suddenly pointed at Marinette’s dress, “Can you believe she made that?”

That snapped Damian out of it, “You made it?”

She whined and hid her face behind her hands, “Jason, go on stage and tell everyone. I don’t think the fish heard you.” Jason was about to get up and Marinette pulled him back down, “No, Jason!” She turned to face Damian, “Thank you for getting those pictures off of Lila’s phone. I don’t know how you did it, but you guys seriously saved my social life.”

Damian rolled his eyes and sat on the other chair beside her, “So you make your own clothes?”

Her eyes lit up, “Not all of them, but I try to push myself to make more and more until my closet is completely filled with my own designs.” She played with the hem of her skirt, “It’s my dream to have my own fashion line. It’s dumb, but-”

“No, it isn’t.” She looked up and Damian shrugged, “It’s not. It’s your passion, so follow it.” She didn’t respond so he took it as a cue to continue, “If you find a reason to continue moving forward, then hang onto it. If that reason to continue moving forward when times are tough is fashion, then don’t be ashamed of it. Be proud.” He rested his chin on his hand while looking at no one in particular, “If you lose it, whether that means you lose interest in fashion or you feel like you’ve made it as far as you could in your career, then you just find a new one. Those reasons may change, but I think your reason works with who you are.” He thinks about his reasons. His original reason was leading the League of Assassins with his grandfather and mother. His next reason was to be the best Robin Batman ever had in order to take up the mantle. Now, he really didn’t know what it was, but he hoped to find that reason soon. He smiled and turned his head slightly to Marinette, “Not all of us have that reason. A lot of us are still looking. You found your reason, be proud of that.”

Marinette wasn’t expecting that answer at all. She was expecting the Damian who yelled at her for being passive in her methods for dealing with Lila, not the one that showed her the stars on the helideck last night. She tried to wrap her mind around it, but Alya interrupted her thoughts with a picture. Marinette blinked at the sudden flash, “Alya, what did you-”

“My best friend is flirting it up with Damian Wayne and you really expect me NOT to document this?”

Marinette tensed, “ALYA!” Her friends laughed at her and Damian noticed three figures coming towards them.

He knew who it was and tapped Marinette’s shoulder, “Hey Marinette, I’d like you to-” Marinette held up a finger and started drinking the water in front of her to help with the cottonmouth Alya caused her. Marinette turned slightly and, if you asked anyone there, you could see the moment she began to panic realizing Bruce Wayne was standing practically behind her. Marinette spit out the water and began having a coughing fit. She stood up, eyes watering as she tried to not choke on her drink, and ran to the nearest bathroom.

Bruce looked amused, “That was my fault, wasn’t it?” That prompted Marinette’s friends to laugh hysterically and they all sat down.

Alya tried to catch her breath, “No! No! Sir, she has been freaking out for hours over what to do when she meets you. She just thought she’d meet you on stage.”

Chloe wiped a tear from her eye, “Yeah! You coming out of nowhere not only ruined the confidence boost from her pep talk in the mirror, but you scared her half to death!”

Jason bit his lip to keep from laughing before turning to Damian, “I said this once and I’ll say it again. She’s a total spazz and I LOVE that for you!”

Nino caught his breath and registered what Jason just said, “Wait, two questions. One, I know Bruce and Jason, but not the rest of you. Two, what do you mean? Is he-”

Damian’s voice rose as he tried to defend himself, “I am not! Todd, I already warned you.” Damian turned back to Nino and pointed, “Dick Grayson. Tim Drake. I’m Damian Wayne.”

Jason cut in, “Yes he is. I’ve never seen him this worked up, even when we-”

“Jason, enough!” The table turned to Bruce and he sighed, “You don’t want to embarrass your brother too much. Not tonight.”

Jason coughed in a clear attempt to gather his bearings but continued, “Anyway, yeah.”

Dick chuckled, “It’s kind of obvious you like her.”

“I don’t like her!”

“Why not? Everyone likes Marinette.” Alya pointed at her boyfriend, “Nino had a crush on her for a while.”

Nino nodded, “Don’t forget Nathaniel.”

Chloe laughed, “I think Kim liked her too. You know, before meeting me.”

Adrien rolled his eyes and thought for a moment, “Yeah, and Luka.”

The kids had mixed reactions before Alya sighed, “That poor boy.”

Adrien shrugged, “At least she set him up with Kagami and they make a really good pair.”

Nino laughed and looked at Alya, “It was also kind of her fault we got together too, babe.”

Alya rolled her eyes before nodding, “She set up Nathaniel and Marc too.”

Chloe snapped her fingers, “Oh! Don’t forget Ivan and Myléne!”

Adrien laughed, “Oh my god, I almost forgot about them!”

Damian could feel himself tense and Tim snickered, “Well baby bird, looks like you have competition. Either you’re going to have to fight off guys to get her to date you or she’s going to set you up with someone else.”

Alya sympathized with him and noticed the red accent on Damian’s suit, “Oh!” She turned to Tim, “Is that why you asked for the picture of the dress?”

Tim winced and Dick groaned, “Tim what did you do?”

“Nothing! I wanted to make sure he matched with her!” Damian didn’t even realize it. He was so focused on getting Lila’s phone that he didn’t even question the clothes Tim handed him. “It looks good on both of you.” The table nodded in agreement before meekly Tim added, “Also, I promised Alya a small interview with Bruce Wayne.”

The other boys glared at their brother and Bruce rolled his eyes. Alya sat up excited, “Don’t worry it will be quick. Just a little something for the Ladyblog.”

Before he could respond, a sudden burst of red ran past them and to Bruce’s side. She stood there, completely rigid, and before Bruce could ask anything she bowed and started rambling, “I am so sorry! I just got really surprised by you and I guess I just panicked! I was NOT prepared to meet you off the stage! If I messed up anyone’s clothes I can fix them or just throw me overboard! And-”

She felt a hand on her shoulder and she looked up at Bruce, who held a patient smile on his face. “Miss Dupain-Cheng,” he held out his hand, “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. I read your paper and think the work you and your class do for Paris is very impressive. Especially so young.”

Marinette didn’t know what to do until Dick poked her side and she jumped, “You shake it.” Marinette blushed a bright red before putting her own hand out. Bruce’s hand gently engulfed the young girl’s and she visibly relaxed. Another flash went off and the two turned to Alya.

She sent a thumbs up, “I’m sending that one to your mom!”

Marinette realized she hadn’t let go of Bruce’s hand and jumped back with a small squeak. “Thank you, Mr. Wayne, for picking me and allowing us on this boat.” Bruce nodded and motioned for her to sit. She took her seat between Damian and Jason, the blush never truly fading.

Jason finally spoke up, “As entertaining as it is to watch Marinette freak out, I would much rather have dinner and a show.”

“Oh yeah, when does dinner-” As if on cue the dining bell rang and food was brought out to each table. Waiters hustled and bustled around each table, setting plates down carefully and taking requests for drinks or food alterations. Marinette suddenly found herself sitting in front of a plate of delicious-looking food and as surprised as she was, the boys seemed to just talk as if nothing extraordinary was happening around them. Adrien and Chloe also seemed unfazed while talking to Alya and Nino.

“First time seeing something like this?”

She turned to Damian and nodded, “It’s crazy how they don’t bump into each other. I would’ve fallen by now.”

“You can’t be that clumsy.”

Marinette snorted, “Alya and Nino have a bet going to see if I fall on stage.”

Damian smiled, “If it makes you feel better, my brothers made a bet to see who I would threaten first when on this trip.”

“Was it Jason?” Damian nodded and she smiled, “Your family’s great.”

“Your friends seem nice as well. You look close, you know, now that they’re actually around.” Marinette cringed and he was quick to apologize, “That was stupid. I-”

“This is the first time in weeks that I’ve felt like this.” She picked at her food and her expression displayed an expression of melancholy, “I love them. Sitting like this, eating together like this, talking like this, I haven’t gotten to have any of it for a while.” She looked over at Damian, “I feel like me again. I should thank you for bringing them over to my room.”

Damian shook his head, “You don’t have to.”

Marinette shrugged, “I want to. I wanted to thank you for showing me the stars too. Please?”

Watching her head tilt slightly almost did it, he almost gave in, but Dick mercifully chimed in. “So what is that I hear about you making your own dress?” Marinette’s eyes lit up as she started to talk about her dress and her passion for fashion. Her classmates joined in and shared pictures of previous pieces they’ve commissioned over the years leading into their own stories of Marinette in school. Jason and Dick wasted no time in telling their own stories of Damian while Tim looked for photos of Damian that went along with each story. Damian and Marinette were in a loop of listening, laughing, listening, hiding from the other due to embarrassment, listening, maybe a bit of arguing, and more laughing.

Bruce watched the group in front of him, it was a good dynamic and everything seemed peaceful. Normal. Just looking at Damian now he could see significant signs of improvement in his mood and overall behavior. Bruce also noted the way Marinette and Damian would steal glances at each other throughout the conversations. He noted the way Jason playfully fought for Marinette’s attention, like a child craving attention from a sibling or parent. He noted Tim looking rested and putting more energy into the conversation. He noted Dick observing Marinette and Damian fondly. Lastly, he noted how relaxed he was with this group of children in front of him – Jason and Dick included. It was full of laughter and warmth. 

He looked at his watch, “10 more minutes. Marinette are you prepared for me to give you the honor and award or do you want to run a rehearsal by me.”

Marinette sat up and frowned, “I did not rehearse!”

“HA!” Jason nudged Marinette, “I’ve known you for about a day and I know for a fact that you’ve rehearsed.” Marinette glared at him and pouted, “See, I’m right!”

“You’re the worst.”

Dick smirked, “Got you there, Jason.”

“Screw you.”

“Oh yeah, Marinette do you have your speech prepared at least?” Marinette froze and just stared at Tim.

She looked like she was about to cry, “Please, tell me you’re joking.”

Damian rolled his eyes, “He is.” Marinette immediately relaxed before throwing her spoon at Tim’s head.

Tim ducked and looked back, “One, rude. Two, I’m not picking that up.”

Marinette huffed and crossed her arms, “You’re just lucky I’m not sitting next to you.”

Tim smirked, “It’s like being threatened by a puppy.”

“Careful Tim,” the table turned to the blond just watching the interaction with an amused look on his face, “she’s not one to mess with.”

Dick laughed, “No kidding. She made friends with captain grumpy in like no time at all, which for those who don’t know that man only ever smiled at his niece. If he likes Marinette, he’d throw any of us overboard if he even caught wind of someone messing with her.”

Marinette looked around, “Where is Captain Staller anyway?”

Bruce took another bite of his food, “He said he had to look something over in the main control room. Although he should’ve come down by now. I’ll have someone check up on him.” Marinette nodded and relaxed, she’d been scanning the area occasionally for him since arrived to the dinner.

Jason side-eyed her and they locked eyes. It took a whole second before she realized what he was about to do. “Jason, no-”

“She pinned Damian down in the rec room without breaking a sweat.”

Bruce’s eyebrows shot up, “Really?”

Jason pulled out his phone, “I have a video.”

Alya perked up, “Please send that to me! I’d pay to see Marinette do something like that.”

Marinette groaned, “I know this is being shared on our terms now, but can we not show your dad how I wrestled his youngest to the ground?”

Bruce grabbed the phone and watched carefully, “Have you been trained before?”

“No, I just go head to head with a lot of Akumas.” Marinette rested her chin in her palm and sighed, “Everyone at this table has in one way or another.”

Chloe smirked, “As Queen Bee, I have a duty to protect Paris and will gladly defeat any Akuma.” Tim made sure to make a mental note of that tidbit of information. While it wasn’t exactly a secret the mayor’s daughter occasionally help Paris’ heroes, the fact that she is so open is new to him. He’d find it refreshing if it wasn’t so dangerous.

“Weren’t you akumatized twice while Queen Bee?”

“Weren’t you minding your own business, Nino?” The small group laughed, completely missing the way the Wayne family looked at each other. Concern, tension, fear for their new friends, a new need to protect, guilt for not knowing more about the situation; all of it was passed in that one moment between the five men.

Bruce cleared his throat and the five got up, “It’s time.” Marinette nodded and got out of her chair, clearly nervous but excited all the same. Bruce will admit he forgets how resilient regular kids can be when in tough situations. Bruce thinks back to his boys and briefly wonders if they would’ve persevered through their various hardships without his influence. He shook his head and realizes he knows they would have, with or without Bruce or Batman being part of their lives. That’s just how kids are. They live, they move forward, they have their moments and may breakdown but some of them just get back up and keep moving. His boys were some of those people. Marinette and her classmates were some of those people too. He was one of those people too. The boys walked on stage first, standing in a very clearly designated line, and Bruce turned to Marinette, “You ready?”

“As I’ll ever be.”

Bruce nodded and motioned for her to wait as he got on stage. The crowd clapped politely and settled down once Bruce got to the mic. “Thank you all for coming here tonight. We are gathered here to award the first annual Wayne Enterprise Service Award.” The crowd gave a small round of applause before Bruce continued, “My father had a saying: ‘Tomorrow is one dream away’. Sentimental words, but they stayed with me long after their passing. Rather than focus on the darkness and everything wrong in the world and in Gotham, I decided to focus on how exceptional Gotham actually was and how much better it could be. I wanted to show my appreciation to the youth of today who embody that philosophy and dream in their own communities. Imagine my surprise when I get an approximate 30-page paper from a fifteen-year-old girl in Paris about all the things she and her classmates have done over the past few years. Each one in their own ways doing their part to help Paris as it deals with their own super villains and at such a young age. It’s quite the responsibility, but from what I can gather from this paper each and every one of these children take it on quite admirably. Each one of these children here tonight embody the spirit of a better tomorrow and their class president just had to praise them for their efforts. After reading her paper, I completely understand why. The volunteer work, the charity, the overall improvements they helped make to their community is astonishing to me and I’m a millionaire. I’ve seen it all!” The crowd laughed at the small joke and Bruce smiled, “However, I will say this. I have never read a paper as inspiring and heartwarming as the one the award recipient submitted to our contest. She shows signs of a clear leader. Giving credit where credit is due, organizing groups of students and projects, and working alongside her peers even when she isn’t expected to. She’s exceeded any previous expectations I had for any winner and set a new bar for next year. It is my pleasure to honor and welcome our winner of this award to Marinette Dupain-Cheng!”

The crowd erupted into applause and Marinette chanted to herself, “Please, don’t fall. Please, don’t fall. Please, don’t fall.” Bruce offered her a hand and she gladly took it, if only to stabilize herself. Bruce handed her a framed award with her name and the name of her class written clearly and bolded. She could feel her cheeks hurt from all the smiling and for a second dare to sneak a glance at the four brothers. Tim threw a thumbs up her way. Dick continued clapping and watched her with pride. Jason looked like he was about to cry he was so happy for her. Then there was Damian. He was clapping, sure, but the way he looked at her with not only pride but admiration really threw her for a loop. She looked back to the crowd and saw her classmates cheering and taking photos.

She felt elated until she locked eyes with Lila. Lila stared her down with a grim look and Marinette felt time stop for her. Everything around them faded out and she could feel her heartbeat become erratic as Lila continued glaring at her. Marinette didn’t know what was happening, but she couldn’t move or look away. She was unable to take a deep breath and felt disoriented the longer Lila locked eyes with her.

The thing that broke her out of it was a loud bang. Everyone froze and murmured wondering what just happened until they heard it again. Another bang, closer than the first rang out. The vibrations caught everyone off guard before realization set in and people started to panic.

The ship was under attack and, being at sea, they had no way out.


	6. Diving

Adrien was not the only one who noticed Marinette freeze on stage, he’s pretty sure Alya caught it on camera. It was great, their class erupted in cheers as soon as she was announced and it seemed like Marinette was finally getting the recognition she deserved for both being Ladybug and the everyday Ladybug. When she first got up there, he was honestly waiting for her to start crying out of joy. Her smile was contagious and he didn’t think anyone was immune to it. He was wrong. Her smile slowly fell and she couldn’t look away from something. While most of the others didn’t think too much of it, he looked at his friends around him to see if they noticed. Alya stopped cheering and Chloe wore a look of confusion and worry. Nino frowned and tried to push himself forward towards the stage to snap her out of it. They all knew Marinette. If it was nerves she’d be rambling and bouncing off the walls full of nervous energy. She didn’t freeze like this. Adrien looked above the crowd and someone caught his eye. Lila and Marinette were having some sort of bizarre stare down, but he knew in his gut something was off. This wasn’t just a show of intimidation, Marinette was a few moments away from a full-blown panic attack. He knew the signs, he’s talked her through them after an especially terrible Akuma. He looked back on stage to the other boys there with her and locked eyes with a very concerned Damian. Adrien motioned for him to go up to her, but before he could move they all heard it. Soon, they felt the next one.

Explosions, close ones. He looked back to Marinette and, despite the situation they were in, he was relieved. He watched her expressions go from startled, to confused, to determination and focus. A few short shots rang out and it finally hit him how serious this could get. “Chloe, Alya, let’s go!” The girls seemed to snap out of it too and blindly followed their friend towards the stage. Weaving their way through the different attendees as they scrambled confused and disoriented.

Alya spoke first, “Is it an Akuma?”

Chloe shook her head, “Why would it be all the way out here? It makes no sense!”

Adrien and Marinette locked eyes for a brief moment and, without transforming, saw her become Ladybug in her own right. She pushed Bruce away from the mic and yelled into it, “Bar the doors with tables and chairs! Start with the main doors and any doors facing the direction of the explosions!” She turned to the boys, “Tim, I need you to find us an escape route. Should whatever is causing this get into the room we’ll need one. Dick, take Tim’s phone and watch the cameras. We need to know what direction they’re coming from. Jason, Damian, I need you to come with me. Bruce, help keep the patrons from going into a full-blown panic. You’re the authority figure here, they’ll listen to you.” She jumped off the stage and ran to meet up with the other miraculous holders.

Adrien locked eyes with Marinette and felt himself fall into their hero dynamic, “What do you want us to do?”

“We need to buy Tim some time to find an escape route and get everyone to a safer area.”

Chloe shook her head and spoke up, “No! No, you can’t be seriously thinking about going out there!”

Jason agreed, “Like hell you’re going out there! Me and Damian can handle it, you guys stay here and-”

Marinette glared at him the same way she used to glare at Cat Noir when she was fed up and needed him to behave, worked every time. “I am not arguing about this. We don’t need to fight, we just need to distract. The explosions and shots are coming from the east deck, we go west and cause enough commotion to get them to investigate and waste time.”

Alya looked absolutely floored by what her best friend was saying, “And if they shoot you? Or us? Seriously, Marinette you are not a superhero!”

Marinette snapped, “I KNOW!” She took a deep breath and looked around the room. She saw both strangers and classmates working together to survive. Everyone terrified and she couldn’t stand it. “If you don’t want to come that’s fine. Help Bruce keep the crowd in check and facilitate the barricades. I need to go though.” She turned to Nino, “I know you always bring speakers. Where are they?”

Nino blinked, still not entirely believing what his friend was suggesting, “My room.”

“Is it far?”

Adrien shook his head, “It’s fairly close. I can guide you there.” Marinette nodded and looked back around the room before landing on a lone vent towards the back. Big enough to crawl through, but not strong enough to hold a whole room of people as they frantically escaped danger. For her purposes though, she thought it was just what they needed. She grabbed a knife off a nearby table and ran over to the vent, prying off the cover.

Marinette looked at the group, “I don’t care who goes with me. I just want everyone safe, but I will ask for help. It’d be safer than me and Adrien going off on our own.”

Jason growled and walked to Marinette’s side, “You’re insane.”

Damian really didn’t know what to think. Marinette, not even an hour ago, freaked out because she met Bruce Wayne sooner than expected. Now, she’s looking like a born leader. She carried herself in a way that demanded respect and cooperation that could only be honed in by years of experience. He really didn’t know what to think, but he couldn’t let her go off with only a model and a trigger happy dumbass. “I’m going too.”

Marinette nodded, “Okay, this should be fine. Nino, give me your phone and the lock password, I’ll need it to connect to the speakers.” Nino quickly handed over his phone and Marinette gave one last look to the three friends staying behind. “I need you to trust me.”

Alya took a shaky breath before running over and hugging her friend, “If you don’t come back I swear I’ll let everyone know every embarrassing thing you’ve ever done since I’ve met you.”

Marinette smiled, “I’ll haunt you if you do that.” Alya sniffed and pulled away before biting her lip and ripping herself away from her best friend. Adrien took Nino’s keycard, giving him a quick hug, and walking back over to Marinette’s side. Nino and Chloe gave their own looks of concern before doing the same.

“Marinette, do you even know what you’re doing?”

“No, but I’m not going to let us be sitting ducks until I figure it out.” Marinette bent down and tried to crawl through the vent opening before Jason grabbed her arm, “What?”

“Look I know you want to play leader, but I would rather not be forced to look up your dress trying to follow you headfirst into a suicide mission.”

Damian’s face lit up and he hit his brother for being so vulgar, “Jason!”

Marinette just smirked. She took off her heels and handed them over the Adrien before ripping off her skirt in one fluid motion. The skirt fluttered around her like some kind of veil for a brief moment before gravity eventually pulled it down, revealing biker shorts hidden underneath. “When you’ve been through as many Akuma attacks as we’ve had, you learn to be ready for anything.” Adrien bit his lip to keep from laughing at the other boys’ faces after Marinette pulled that stunt and crawled through the vent like it was nothing. That was his lady after all.

Adrien put the heels down and crouched down, crawling towards the vent, “You boys just going to stand there or are you going to help?”

Jason shook his head and blinked a few times as to process what just happened. He looked at Damian, who kept staring at the spot she was just in and shook him. Jason looked over at Adrien, “Did,” there was a small pause as he continued to process what just happened, “Did you know she would do that?”

Adrien gave one quick “Ha!” before shaking his head. Suddenly, mischief and pride reflected in his eyes and smile. Despite the tense situation he was oddly calmed and portrayed an aura that would suggest he was in his element. “You haven’t seen anything yet.” Adrien crawled through the vent. He didn’t need to look back to know they scrambled to the vent and followed them if not out of concern then for curiosity. He felt Plagg press against his chest from within his pocket, reminding him that he was still Adrien and not Cat Noir. He wouldn’t have the magic armor that would otherwise keep him safe from explosions and shots, but he was following his Lady. Following her through any dangerous situation felt as natural to him as breathing, if he were honest with himself their accidental reveal only made those feelings more intense. They trusted each other, they were partners.

“Which way?”

He could hear Tim through his forgotten earpiece, “Where do you guys think you’re going?!”

“Nino’s room. It’s west wing, 132.” Marinette looked back at him confused until he turned his head and pointed out the device.

Tim sighed and paused for a moment before saying, “Quickest route would be to take the next right and go straight until hitting the last vent. You’ll come out in the hallway next to the resident wing.”

Adrien nodded, “Right, then straight until we reach a vent at the very end.”

“Why did no one tell me we had intercoms?”

Jason called up, “What’s the hold-up?”

Marinette shook her head before following the directions she was given. She reached said vent and quietly pushed the cover out of the wall. She looked around before pulling herself out and holding a hand out to Adrien. He graciously took the help and handed her a key card for Nino’s room. Adrien straightened himself out and helped Jason crawl out, “Down the hall and to the right.” Marinette nodded, she quietly made her way over and peered over the corner. Adrien could see her shoulders slightly relax, meaning there didn’t seem to be anyone in the area yet.

She ran over to Nino’s room and unlocked it, “Okay, so far so good.” She could feel Tikki vibrate through her purse. It was a constant reminder that she was not Ladybug right now and anything could happen, but she needed to do something. She looked up and saw all three boys quietly making their way over to her before they all ran into the room. She released a breath she didn’t know she was holding once the door closed and she leaned her forehead against the wood. She mumbled to herself, “We’re going to be okay.”

Adrien began looking through Nino’s luggage and smiled when found the right suitcase. “Yes!” He placed it on the bed and opened the zipper, revealing a large travel bag full of medium and small Bluetooth speakers. If he knew anything about Nino, they were loud and exactly what they needed. “What do we do now, La- Marinette?”

Adrien could feel the other two boys look at him confused about the stutter, but neither could move forward with a question as Marinette walked forward to look over her arsenal. “We need to figure out a way to place these around the west and south side of the ship to draw them away from the dining hall.”

Damian nodded, “Knowing Tim, he’ll probably be in the process of taking them below deck and hiding them in the conference rooms. They lock and are soundproof. Best bet.”

“So we stay up top and keep whoever this is distracted until Tim tells us otherwise.”

Jason held a finger to his earpiece, “Hey Dick, what’s going on through the cameras?”

There was a small moment of static before Dick finally spoke up, “Sorry guys. They’re getting closer to the dining hall. We don’t recognize them through the cameras but the best bet is that they may just be pirates.”

Damian nodded, “At least we aren’t dealing with a supervillain.”

“Wait, what’s going on?” The three boys suddenly realized that Marinette didn’t have an earpiece. She couldn’t communicate with the others and, considering she was the leader of the little operation, this was a liability.

Adrien spoke first while taking out his earpiece, “Dick said that he thinks the attackers are just pirates raiding the boat. They’re getting closer to the hall and I don’t think everyone is out yet.”

“Adrien no, here take mine” Jason started to take out his own, “I can handle myself should anything happen.”

“No, you’re too reckless to not be monitored.” Damian moved to Marinette’s side, “I’ll just go with her. We’re quieter than either of you and Jason knows I can take someone out if necessary without causing a ruckus.” Adrien seemed hesitant to agree to this arrangement, but Jason just nodded and put his earpiece back in.

“He’s right. For sneaking around, Damian’s our best bet.”

Adrien looked between the two brothers and then at Marinette. She just nodded and stated, “I’ll be fine.” He sighed in defeat, now anxious that he was no longer going to be next to his partner during a dangerous mission but he also noticed Damian’s ability to sneak around. If it wasn’t for his heightened hearing from years of being Cat Noir, he wouldn’t have known he entered the vent. Adrien was watching him crawl out the vent and not a sound was made. It was like he was born for this type of situation. It made him worry and realize these rich kids had more to them than meets the eye. He had his initial suspicions when Damian was able to swiftly dodge Marinette’s attacks when they sparred, but this confirmed his hunch.

Adrien sighed and put out a fist, “Promise me you’ll be safe and stay out of sight.”

Marinette bit her lip and bumped her own fist against his, “We’ll be careful.” Jason and Damian exchanged a very confused glance at each other, suddenly feeling as though they’ve watched something sacred and intimate. Marinette pulled back first and grabbed a few of the medium speakers and handed them to Jason, “I need you to take these upstairs and scatter them around the floors.” She handed Adrien a few smaller ones, “Follow him and place them in the stairways leading to the upper levels. Not too many in the same stairway, two max. Also, look for more secluded areas where you think people would hide and put them there. Give them something to look for.” She split the rest between her and Damian, “We’ll put these down here and get them away from the group. If you ask Tim, he’ll probably tell you a way to get below deck without getting caught.”

Damien sighed, “Grayson, where are they now?”

“Too close for comfort.”

“It’s now or never, then.” Jason opened up the door and looked around before holding it open for the others to get out. He looked back at the three teenagers in front of him, all ready for anything despite the fear each held in their eyes. “See you below deck.”

Damian’s expression steeled over, wearing a look reserved for when he was about to go into a rough fight as Robin, “We’ll be fine.” Jason nodded and then motioned for Adrien to follow him. Adrien gave both one last look before following Jason down the hall and eventually disappearing down a hallway. “You ready?”

Marinette took a deep breath and nodded, “Let’s do this already.”

“Follow me then, I know this boat better than you and if we need any ideas I can communicate with Tim.” Marinette was hot on his heels as they quietly made their way down the various hallways. Setting up the speakers was easy enough, placing down the little speakers and running away could’ve been considered fun or a prank under different circumstances. However, the third explosion rang out and the vibrations felt closer than the other two. “Grayson?”

“There’s a small group heading in your direction. You have about 3 minutes before they make contact with you, sooner if they decide to speed up. Another group coming from the North. Damian-”

“And the guests?”

Dick paused for a moment, “Almost all out, still some passengers left.”

Damian frowned, “What’s my best escape route?”

He heard Tim speak up before Dick could make a suggestion, “If you start to head north there should be a supply closet for the sanitation crew to put things in. Wait for Dick to give you the okay for you to sneak out.”

Damian nodded and looked over to Marinette as she connected the various speakers to the phones she held. She was so focused, almost jarringly so. She seemed like a different person and he recognized a spark inside her. Not the same one he saw a moment ago at dinner when she spoke about fashion, this was different. It reminded him of when he and his family were on patrol and dealing with a particularly hard case. Determination, innovation, law-abiding, creativity, and level-headedness were all mixed together and spread amongst those in the bat cohort. He didn’t realize it at first, to be fair he didn’t expect it to be seen inside this small girl from Paris. However, now he can’t un-see it. He briefly wonders if she was sent by the League before quickly debunking it, she has a family and a home. She wasn’t like him, she had a normal childhood.

The distant sounds of gunshots snapped him out of a momentary haze and he grabbed Marinette’s arm before sprinting down the hall. “Where are we-” Damian halted in front of a specific door and pulled out a little kit. “Oh, so now you can pick locks?” Damian didn’t even respond to her little jab at him, focused solely on opening the door. When he finally did, he swung it open and grabbed Marinette’s arm. He threw her inside and quickly followed suit, closing the door quietly behind him. “What-”

He covered her mouth and shushed her. She looked confused before they both heard footsteps around the corner of the hallway. Marinette tried to look around the room, using the low light of the phone screen to make things out in the dark closet. She noted the different cleaning supplies and rags, but she did take a box opener off one of the shelves. She turned to Damian, whose focus was solely on the door as people drew closer, and tapped his shoulder to present what she found. He didn’t say anything, but he took the box cutter and examined it for a second before putting it in his pocket. He understood the implications of the object; it was a weapon just in case. She continued to quietly make her way through the supplies, looking for anything else they could use to protect themselves, but unless they are allowed to get close enough to hit them with a mop or throw bleach in their eyes the things in the room were useless.

Damian continued to listen to the group outside their door. He could tell they were American by the way they spoke, most likely from Gotham considering the villain name drops he picked up through their conversation. From what he could tell, they were either sent by someone or had an insider on the boat. This wasn’t a normal job for these crooks, but this was something planned or at least not an impulse crime. There’s no reason men like the ones passing them should be sailing with them across the European shores, this is something he’ll have to investigate later. Right now, he was focused on protecting himself and the girl with him.

“Hey, baby bird, you still okay?”

Damian bit his lip before whispering, “They’re still in the hallway. What is it?”

“Adrien and I are done setting up the speakers, we’re waiting for your cue.”

Damian turned to the girl, still carefully looking around the room for things to use. Damian nudged her, “They’re ready.”

She nodded and motioned for him to hand her the earpiece. Damian nodded, quickly taking it out of his ear and handing it over. Marinette thought for a moment before nodding, “Okay. Here’s what I want you to do. Damian and I are going to be playing loud music down here. Nino’s playlist should be enough to get their attention. Jason, using your speakers I need you to look up sounds of people either walking around or talking. They need to think we’ve escaped upstairs so it gives us a chance to go below deck with the others. Adrien, get sounds of people whispering. It’ll give them something to look for and keep them busy. They’ll probably be out to kill or be out for hostages so if they think they hear someone hiding they’ll go out of their way and look for it. Tim you still there?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you have a route for them to get below deck?”

“Okay, Jason you know the floor I’m on right? There’s a dumbwaiter down the hall towards the main stairs on your right. It looks closed, but it’s not. It’ll take you down to sublevel 2. We’re in sublevel 3 spread among the different conference and workrooms. Dick and I are in conference room 6, the big one. That’s where most of us are.”

“Is that how you’ve been getting to your room so quickly when we go below deck? And you didn’t tell me? You know I hate those stairs.”

Adrien sounded tense, “I don’t think now is the time to have this conversation. Tim, how small is it?”

“You guys will be able to fit, but not together. You’ll have to go one at a time.”

Marinette nodded to herself, “We’ll give you a few minutes. When you’ve made it below deck tell us and we’ll start up the speakers. After you hear music, start up the speakers you’ve set up too. We’ll be waiting to hear from you guys or Dick to head down.” She took the earpiece out and handed it back to Damian, “We have to wait another few minutes for the boys to get out of the upper area of the ship.”

Damian nodded, “They aren’t in the hallway anymore, but until Dick tells us they’re out of the area I don’t want to get out just yet.”

Marinette just sat down and sighed, “At least we ate a nice dinner before this started.” It took a second before Damian finally sat down in front of her and just stared. “What?”

“How did you that?”

“Do what?”

“This. All of this. When you were on stage getting the award, there was a moment where you froze and looked terrified. Now, with the highest probability of being shot or assaulted, you round the troops, come up with a plan, execute said plan, and are somehow staying level-headed.” He narrowed his eyes as he tried his best to make sense of her, “Who are you?”

Marinette sighed and rested against the walls, careful of the supplies around her, “I’m just Marinette. I’m a class president who has been through hundreds of Akuma attacks and expected to have a plan during every single one of them. If I don’t have a plan, people will get hurt and panic. I have to be the person who figures things out and fixes things, that’s my role in Paris.” Marinette closed her eyes, “I’ve had this role ever since I was thirteen.”

“What about the adults? The teachers-”

“They can’t help you if they were the ones who were akumatized in the first place.” She smiled and shook her head, “I didn’t want to. I didn’t want to take on this role at first, but then Alya got hurt and other people were transformed and-” She took a shaky breath and ran her fingers through her hair, disturbing the ponytail Alya worked so hard on, “I couldn’t just sit around and watch. I had to do something about it.”

“Sounds like you did more than something.” Damian thought carefully over his next question, “Marinette, are you-”

Marinette pointed at the earpiece and he noticed a small noise coming from it. He quickly put it in his ear, “Yes?”

Dick sighed, “Oh thank god, I thought something happened to you when you didn’t answer. If you leave now you should be able to make it down here no problem. Adrien made it down first and Jason should be here soon.”

He could hear Jason grunt and then a small thud “Update, I just got out of the dumbwaiter.”

“Where’s Father and Tim?”

“They left after making sure everyone was down safely. Tim left me his-”

Adrien, who he forgot was still on the intercom, chimed in, “What? Why? It’s not-”

Dick was quick to reassure, “I’m sure they’re just checking in on the other guests. Like I said, we’re spread among the level’s rooms. Still, we won’t be able to contact them right now.”

Damian sighed and looked back up at the girl sitting in front of him. For a second he forgot about their little mission, so focused on her story. He wanted to know more but he knew that it wasn’t the time, so he just stood up and held out his hand. She took it and the two made their way outside the closet and they started running. She fired up the speakers and Nino’s music vibrated the floor almost as much as the explosions did. He kept running, taking longer routes to avoid anyone who was making their way over to investigate the commotion. Damian clutched the box cutter she handed him in his pocket. Even though he knew he always had a few weapons on him like knives or a Batarang, she handed him the only weapon she could find and it made him feel obliged to use it.

They found themselves out on the main deck and he cursed under his breath. The longer route worked in the sense that they didn’t meet up with anyone, but now they were out in the open. Exposed. He held on to her arm, “If we take the main stairway, we can make it to the others.”

“And where exactly are ‘the others’?” The two teens whipped around to face a man with an odd-looking gun in his hand and heavy looking equipment on his person. Damian figured based on the things he held, this man was the main brain behind the explosions. “Don’t make this harder than it needs to be, kid. We’re here for a job. If you don’t want us to find your little friends then at least tell us where Wayne is.”

Marinette stepped back behind Damian and tried to weigh her options. All they had was an old box cutter and nothing was in their immediate area that could be useful, if they ran they risked being shot, so last option was stalling. “What do you want with Bruce?”

“Little girl, he’s the richest man on this ship and he’s sure to hand over some of that fortune with his ship under attack.” He pointed his gun at the two and tilted his head, “Now where is he?”

“We don’t know!” Damian needed to just wait until his brother and father showed up. No doubt they left to become Batman and Red Robin. He just needed to buy time. “After your little firework show, people ran. We hid. We heard some loud noises and just started running in the other direction.”

“I don’t care about what you and your little girlfriend do, I want Bruce Wayne.” He narrowed his eyes, “You know something. I can tell.”

Marinette could tell he was getting more frustrated, “He’s telling the truth, we don’t know!”

The man looked at the two before shaking his head, “Why am I talking to a few brats?” He sighed, “Sucks for you then. If you can’t help me, then I don’t really need you going off and telling your friends what you’ve seen.”

A shot rang out, Damian threw himself on Marinette and the two fell to the ground. He looked up expecting to dodge another shot before realizing that the man was on the ground holding his leg. Damian looked around confused, getting off of Marinette and pulling her to her feet. Marinette ran over to the man and kicked away his gun before he could rearm himself. “What just-”

“Captain Staller?”

He turned to see who Marinette was looking at and, sure enough, the captain stood there with a pistol in his hand, wiping his forehead. “You really think I’m going to let some bastards hurt any passengers on my ship?”

“I’ve been so worried!” Marinette ran over, hugged the man, and looked up, “Everyone’s below deck right now, but how are we going to get these guys off the boat?”

“I called the nearest coast guard, but they won’t get here for a while.”

“Then we buy time.” The three looked over and noted Batman standing there facing Marinette. “The speakers were your idea?” She nodded, “Good thinking. Having most of them in the same area will make it easier to take them out.”

She pulled away from the captain, “What do we do?”

“Stay out of sight and wait with your friends.”

“But-”

“Marinette,” Marinette turned back to Damian who held up his hand, “they’ve got this. I know you think that this is your job, and maybe it is when you are in Paris, but we aren’t in Paris right now. This isn’t an Akuma. You just need to stay safe.” Marinette looked between the two, conflicted before finally nodding and stepping back. “Batman, is there anything you want me or the captain to do?”

“No. We should be able to handle this.”

“We?”

“I have help.”

Marinette nodded and crossed her arms, curling more into herself, “Damian, let’s go.”

Damian didn’t really know what to make of her reaction. She looked relieved, but conflicted and disappointed. The captain placed a hand on her shoulder and motioned towards the stairs, “Let’s go, girl.” Marinette nodded but didn’t move until Damian walked next to her. Damian didn’t need to turn around to know Batman left to fight crime, but he felt the need to go with him. He reminded himself he wasn’t Robin, he was Marinette’s friend Damian right now.

“Marinette-” He didn’t get to finish before she moved closer and held onto his arm, putting her head on his shoulder. He tensed up, not knowing what to do, but she just squeezed his arm tighter.

“You scared me. I thought he actually shot you.”

Damian sighed and relaxed into her touch, “Shoot me? I was worried he was going to shoot you.”

“You were standing in front of me.”

“Doesn’t mean he doesn’t have good aim.” Damian knew by the way the man held the gun he couldn’t aim well and the shot would’ve hit him no matter what, but Marinette didn’t need to know that. “You’re crazy, you know that?”

“Why am I crazy?”

“You practically asked Batman to take you with him.”

She frowned, “Like I said, I’m used to the role.”

Damian thought back to the closet, “Marinette?”

“Yeah?”

“Are you one of Paris’ superheroes?”

Marinette tensed up and immediately pulled away from him, stopping in her tracks and staring at him. “What makes you say that?”

“Marinette, your reactions tell me you’re hiding something.” Damian stepped towards her, “If you are, then we have to talk about that.”

“Damian, remember what I said about thin ice?”

“Marinette-”

“I am not talking about this with you!”

“Children!” The two turned to the captain, looking worried and holding his hand up. “We need to be quiet just in case there are others who are looking for us. Now is not the time for arguments.”

Marinette just walked past Damian to the captain’s side, leaving him behind still concerned over the girl. She was a hero, he could tell that much, but which one and for how long? Did she have help? Did Ladybug know? Was she Ladybug? Too many questions filled his mind as they made their way down below deck and finally into the designated meeting place. Dick practically tackled Damian and Marinette as soon as they were in the room.

“Oh my god, you made it! When I saw what happened on the cameras we were so worried about you!”

“We?” As if on cue Alya tackled Marinette to the floor, “Alya!”

“No! You are letting me have this! Do you know how freaked out I was seeing you and Damian held at gunpoint!”

Marinette sat up and glared at Dick, “Why would you show her that?”

Damian managed to pull away from his older brother who just pouted, “She was helping me keep an eye on things!”

Chloe walked over to the two girls and helped Marinette up, “You can’t blame us for being worried.” She pointed over to two very relieved looking boys and once again she found herself engulfed by loving arms.

She didn’t know what to do, but she let herself melt into the group hug with her classmates. “I’m sorry.” She pulled away and wiped her eyes, “I just had to do something.”

Alya cupped her friend’s cheek, “We know, but you need to stop putting yourself in danger like that. Seriously Marinette, we worry about you.” Alya bit her lip and thought hard about her next words, “You’ve been acting strange lately. You just throw yourself headfirst into dangerous situations without thinking about it. A few weeks ago, you were thrown into a wall by an Akuma.”

Marinette flinched, remembering that fight too well, “I did it because there were still people who needed to escape.”

“Yes, but you can’t just throw yourself into a situation like that. You are not Ladybug!” Marinette pulled away with that statement and Alya continued, “We just want you to be okay, but it doesn’t look like you are. You’ve been distant. You would wear your heart on your sleeve, but seeing you tonight at dinner has been the most emotion I’ve seen from you in weeks. You look exhausted and you’ve been getting headaches-”

Marinette snapped, “I don’t want to talk about it!”

Adrien tried to step in, “Guys, she clearly doesn’t want to talk about this right now.”

Nino shook his head, “Dude, she almost got shot today because she ran out to face some criminals. I think we should have this conversation.”

Marinette could hear her heart pounding in her ears and she felt cornered by the classmates around her. She looked to Adrien who did try to tell everyone to back off, but he couldn’t do much about their friends. They all had really good points to share and Marinette felt like she had no way out. She felt people staring at her and she looked around and saw Jason, Dick, and Damian watching the whole conversation unfold. Unbeknownst to her, they were mainly interested because most of these were the same symptoms they saw in Damian. Damian, however, kept his eyes solely trained on her. She tried to look away and then caught the eyes of a familiar girl with an amused look on her face. Seeing Lila really heightened everything she felt and she suddenly lurched forward, away from her friends and out the door.

Before anyone could react, Damian ran after her yelling, “Don’t follow us! I’ll go get her!” Adrien tried to follow but was stopped by Dick in the process.

“I have to help!”

“Damian will go get her, she’ll be fine. The more of you that are out there, the more chances of you being caught.”

“But-”

“Dick’s right. Instead, you should go have a chat with your friends about timing. This wasn’t a conversation to have right now.” Adrien frowned and turned back to his friends, missing the look the two brothers exchanged. “What are you thinking?”

Dick frowned as he watched Adrien talk to his friends, “I’m thinking there’s more to this class than Marinette is letting on.”

Meanwhile, Damian chased after the girl running through the halls like a bat out of hell. He could tell she was heading up towards the main deck and he grabbed her arm, “Marinette we have to go back.”

She struggled against him, “Let me go!”

“Marinette!”

“No! Let me go! I need air! I can’t breathe!” She finally looked into his eyes and he saw how frantic she looked to get up top. Her breathing was erratic and her pupils were dilated to an unusual degree. “Please!”

He’s seen this before. Damian found himself looking at this exact person during a big attack in the public streets of Gotham. This person had tunnel vision and did whatever they could to run from whoever was attacking them. Except this person was a young girl, running from a safe room, from her friends, and from some questions. “Marinette, you need to calm down. You’ll throw yourself into a panic attack.” Marinette continued to struggle against him, “Marinette, you need to stop. You can get through this.”

Realizing she couldn’t get out of his iron grip she finally collapsed on the floor and cried. Damian didn’t really know what to do, but he let go of her arm and crouched down beside her. “I can’t- I can’t-”

“You’ll get through this. I need you to tell me what you need right now.”

She tried to but she couldn’t make a complete sentence through the sobbing, “Breathe. I can’t breathe.”

Damian nodded and sat in front of her, “I’m going to show you some deep breathing techniques. Four counts in, four counts hold, four counts out. I need you to try to do that okay.” She didn’t say anything but just nodded, “Okay.” He started to inhale, “Breath in, two, three, four. Hold.” He used his fingers to count to four before exhaling, “Breath out, two, three, four.” It took Marinette a few minutes to be able to calm down enough to follow his directions without breaking the pattern with hyperventilating or crying. Still, Damian sat down next to her and continued with the pattern with the same calm tone of voice and level headed demeanor. “Breath in, two, three, four. Hold.” She closed her eyes, willing herself to focus on her breathing and feeling the air fill her lungs. “Breath out, two, three, four.” She exhaled and clenched her fists to keep another sob from escaping. “You’re doing well. A little bit more, okay? Breath in, two, three, four.”

He stayed with her like this, repeating the same few lines over and over again, for 12 minutes until she was calm enough to stand up. Damian helped keep her balanced and looked her over. He could tell if her head hit a pillow right now she would knock out instantaneously Marinette was so exhausted. She just leaned onto him, wrapping her arms around his torso, and laying her head against his chest. He wrapped his own arms around her, albeit a bit awkwardly, and rested his chin on top of her head. She was in control for the whole mission up until she started getting interrogated. He didn’t really know what to do, but she seemed out of it. He sighed and quietly spoke into the earpiece, “Who else is on the intercom?”

There was a long pause before Dick finally answered, “Adrien gave back his when he got to the room.”

“So just you and Jason?”

Both sighed and reluctantly agreed, “Yeah.”

He rolled his eyes and took note of how Marinette’s breathing evened out and briefly wonders if she actually fell asleep against him. “Is there a lounge area near my location?”

“If you start heading back towards the conference room, but instead of a right make a left and the third door down that hallway is a small library den area. Couches, comfy chairs, and its quiet.”

“Perfect. I’m taking the intercom out. Come find us if you need me.”

Jason jumped into the conversation, “Wait, Damian! Is she okay though?”

“She will be. Right now, she’s exhausted.”

“You know Bruce is going to have to give her a separate award for coming up with this plan. From what I can see through the cameras, it’s working really well and they’re kicking ass.”

Damian hummed, “If you need us, find us. I’m taking her to rest.”

“Okay.”

Damian took out the earpiece and patted Marinette’s back, “Hey. Hey, Marinette, let’s go find somewhere to rest okay?” There was a little bit of time where she didn’t move and he worried that she really did fall asleep against him, but she slowly pulled away and, like earlier, clutched onto his arm. He slowly led her to the lounge Dick mentioned. It’s just as expected, shelves lining the room with a couch and some chairs. Unlike the captain’s den, this had a very modern look to it. Clean and inviting, but cold and dark without the luxury of windows. He carefully guided her down onto the couch and sat beside her. As expected, she closed her eyes and fell asleep as soon as she hit the cushion. He let his head lull back against the couch’s back and closed his eyes.

He thought to himself, “Two days. It has been two since I met this girl and it feels like it’s been almost a week. We’ve only slept one night on this ship for an almost three-week cruise.” He rubbed his eyes and yawned, Marinette’s exhaustion was too becoming infectious. Or maybe it was the adrenaline finally wearing down from the whole ordeal. He felt Marinette move around the couch until she finally laid her head down on his thigh. On a normal day, Damian would’ve either moved the girl or moved himself to a different chair. However, Damian was simply too tired to care and instead just moved his arm to pet her head as she fell into a deeper sleep.

He briefly wondered how Tim and his father were doing up top. Knowing them, another ten minutes and they should have everyone unarmed and captured for the authorities to come to get. Damian could feel the waves of the water and the warmth of the sleeping girl beside him send him deeper into the calm darkness that was sleep. On any normal day, this wouldn’t be happening. On any normal day, he’d rush to get into the fight as Batman’s Robin.

Today was not a normal day. Today started with a plan to apologize to a girl and get into their good graces and ended with them running around the ship with speakers to buy time for the other passengers to escape the clutches of pirates. He makes one last note to investigate their operation further before finally succumbing to sleep.

A little while later a slimmer of light woke him up. He yawned and raised his arm to shield his eyes from the light. He didn’t know what time it was anymore. He felt Marinette stir next to him and slowly sit up. The two groaned because of the light hitting them, too tired to really get up. “Todd, Grayson, if that’s you then close the door.”

He didn’t get a response, instead, he heard a click. At first, he thought it could’ve been a picture, but he could feel Marinette tense next to him and he finally let his eyes adjust to the room. In the door, there was another one of the pirates. He noted the way he carried himself was off, he smiled but looked tired and had bruises. How he escaped Batman or Red Robin he doesn’t know. What he does know is that he’s holding the same kind of weird gun at the two teens and was breathing heavily. “You two. Come with me.”

Marinette got up first, hands up and making careful, slow strides to the man in the doorway. Having the hall light behind him didn’t help her when she tried to analyze her assailant, but she didn’t want to aggravate him. Damian followed suit and the two walked in front of the man, hands up, and staring straight ahead as he led them to the top deck.

Damian didn’t have any way to communicate with his brothers without making it obvious. He cursed at himself for taking the stupid device out of his ear and he stole side glances at Marinette. She stared straight ahead, her expression showed nothing, but her eyes held terror. The man led them up top, Batman and Red Robin were only a few yards away handing over the rest of the group to the authorities with the rest of the guests talking amongst themselves. One of the officers must’ve noticed them because they drew their guns and pointed it in their direction. Damian could tell as soon as Batman and Red Robin laid eyes on them, they tensed and were frantically trying to figure out the best approach.

Batman and Red Robin ran over, but the man just pressed the gun against Marinette’s head and her flinch stopped them dead in her tracks. The man calmly, but firmly, said, “I want the helicopter. There’s a helideck here. I want the helicopter.”

“The helideck is empty, idiot. There is no helicopter.” Damian felt the gun press against his head and Marinette’s breathing hitched.

The guy gave a small laugh, “Smart guy, huh? I don’t care.” The man looked up at the two heroes, “You’re Batman. You can get me a helicopter.”

Damian could feel his father’s and his brother’s glare for his stupid outburst, but he was relieved the gun wasn’t pointed at Marinette anymore. Batman broke the silence, “And if I can’t do that?”

The guy shrugged and grinned, “Then I throw them overboard or I shoot them.”

Damian noted the way his other two brothers and Adrien were being held back by the authorities behind Batman and Red Robin. He could hear their faint yells and wondered what exactly they would do if they managed to get over here. Adrien was a mystery, Jason would tackle the guy, and Dick would drop kick him while saying some dumb one-liner.

The man snapped Damian out of his train of thought, “I’m still waiting.”

Batman grunted, “You’ll get the helicopter. It’ll be a few minutes.”

“I’ve got all night.”

Batman and Red Robin exchanged a look and Red Robin ran back and made some calls. Damian wondered who he was calling at this time to get a helicopter. The helicopter they arrived on let shortly after they boarded the boat and they were no longer in France to call their contact. Damian was bracing himself for a long night.

Marinette, on the other hand, was frantically trying to figure a way out. The gun pointed at her head scared her, but it was pointed at Damian’s making it somehow more terrifying. She was Ladybug, if anyone got seriously hurt on her watch she wouldn’t forgive herself. When Damian sassed the gunman she could’ve smacked him for being so reckless, but having the gun off her head gave her the leeway to quickly look back at the guy. He was tired and bruised, about three minutes away from becoming unhinged. His focus was kept on Batman and solely on Batman. This gave her an idea, a crazy reckless idea. Maybe it was the exhaustion, maybe it was being woken up to a gun pointed at her, whatever it was it made her impulsive. Impulsive Marinette was a dangerous Marinette. Not dangerous to others necessarily, but mainly for herself. She quickly turned and jumped on the man’s arm, forcing it off Damian’s head and shoving him away.

Damian fell forward with the sudden push and Batman sprang into action. Damian turned just in time to see Marinette shoved against the railing and before Batman could pin the guy down he shot her. The shot rang out and her head lulled back and for a brief moment his heart stopped alongside everyone else’s on the ship. Then the strangest thing happened, a small cloud of green gas appeared to come from the bullet and Marinette started to giggle. She lurched forward, a bright green mark on the center of her forehead, and began laughing manically. Red Robin came over dragged Damian back a bit, “It’s Joker’s laughing gas. Don’t breathe it in.”

Batman growled, “So you were sent by the Joker? Why?”

The guy didn’t even flinch, “It was just supposed to be a quick job. Hold the ship hostage, get Bruce to pay up, maybe knock in a few heads, and leave.” Marinette’s laughter became more and more intense with every word he spoke to the point where she was on the floor clutching her stomach completely unable to move. Her mouth was pulled into an unusually large grin and she couldn’t stop laughing. “If you let her continue like that, it could give her brain damage.”

Batman shoved him against a wall, “Shut up. Red Robin, give her the antidote.” While looking back and giving orders, no one noticed the guy pull a remote out of his pocket and push a button. One final explosion rang out very close to them causing the deck to shake and the three men to lose their balance. The gunman used this opportunity to run to Marinette and pull her up by her ponytail while she laughed maniacally the whole time. He held her and walked back against the railing, “I just want my helicopter.”

Damian could feel the blood pumping through his veins as he watched helplessly while she was being held, hostage. Batman moved to get a Batarang and the gunman pulled Marinette’s hair back exposing her neck. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” The man laughed, though his more controlled than Marinette’s, “You wouldn’t want anything to happen to this one.”

Red Robin spoke up first, “The helicopter is coming! Don’t hurt her!” As if on cue, a helicopter flew overhead and landed on the helideck above them. Red Robin pointed as if the man didn’t just see or hear the damn thing, “See? You have your helicopter.”

The man slowly walked himself to the nearest stairway, dragging a hysterical Marinette with him as he made close to the first steps of a set of stairs on the side. He looked between the two heroes in front of him and shook his head before laughing himself. “I can’t do that.” He laughed again as if having a funny conversation with himself, “No, no, no I shouldn’t.”

Red Robin stepped forward, “Batman, I don’t like where this is going.”

He kissed the French girl’s cheek and looked her over one last time. “Take care, sweetheart. You’ll be sleeping with the fishes.” Before anyone could react, the man picked her up and threw her over the rails before running up the stairs. Damian watched as Batman rushed forward and threw himself overboard after the girl. Damian ran to look over the railings and watched Batman pull out two grappling guns. One latched onto the railing and one was aimed to latch onto Marinette. He wasn’t fast enough as the laughing girl splashed into the waters below and with bated breath, he waited for any sign of her. He was about to jump in himself until he saw her come up, gasping for breath and hanging onto the line for dear life. She looked up at Batman, who began to pull both of them up to the deck. Batman climbed up first and Damian ran over to help him pull up Marinette from the waters below her. When she finally did, her body fell onto the deck making the same noise a wet mop makes hitting the floor. She was soaked, shivering, and coughing up water onto the deck as Batman and Red Robin ran to catch up with the last of the group.

Damian did his best to console her, rubbing her back as she threw up the seawater out of her lungs. She continued to shiver violently, even after the last of the water was out of her body, and her lips were turning blue. “Marinette-”

“I want to go to my room now please.” He felt a sick sting of déjà vu hit him as this exact conversation replayed from last night on the helideck. However, unlike last night, she said this with little emotion. It was cold and almost robotic as she stared straight at the floor below her.

Damian should’ve thought about the integrity of the ship. Those explosions could be causing the ship to sink for all he knows, but he couldn’t say no to this girl. He licked his lips and nodded, “Do you want me to go get Alya and Chloe?”

She nodded and he stood up and yelled across the deck for the girl’s friends to come over. They didn’t hesitate to rush to her side and pick her up. They fussed over her, worried about her body temperature and how much water she inhaled from the laughing when she initially hit the water, but she didn’t pay them any attention. If she wasn’t shivering, he would’ve thought she was dead she was so cold and pale. Damian and Marinette locked eyes as she was leaving for her room, he saw nothing. No emotion, no light, nothing. Just a blank stare framed by an ever paling face and a blue mouth that didn’t smile or frown.

Meanwhile, Marinette couldn’t feel anything through the unrelenting chill the water left her. A terrible parting gift if you ask her, but one she was forced to keep. As her friends brought her to her room and changed her into warm clothes she ponders over a few things. Mainly, she wonders if what she felt was similar to being akumatized. Manipulating someone’s emotions and expression for personal gain while the person was unable to do anything about it. She wished she was saved by Ladybug. All of her Akuma victims seem confused and unaware of their predicament and their destruction. Marinette didn’t have that luxury. She knew what was happening around her and couldn’t do anything to stop it. She forced Tikki through being soaked by the European waters and made her worry terribly over Marinette. Once Alya and Chloe buried her underneath as many blankets as she could find, the warmth brought back expression. And expression brought back the crying she hoped to leave in that hallway below deck. Alya and Chloe did their best to console her, but she retained everything. The pain and terror from the uncontrollable laughter and the panic from being thrown overboard. The kiss the man gave her burned her skin and she couldn’t escape any of it.

Damian crossed her mind. He must’ve thought she was crazy. She looks back and remembers the horror on his face that just intensified as her laughter became more and more hysteric. She didn’t want him to look at her like that anymore. She didn’t want any of them looking at her like that anymore. She bit her lip and came to the conclusion that she was a bad Ladybug. A bad superhero and one unworthy to protect Paris. Marinette was then reminded of what she confided in Damian earlier in the closet. “I couldn’t just sit around and watch. I had to do something about it.” It’s the same ideation that guided her impulses, as well-intentioned as they may be.

Damian, at the same time, had walked back to his own room. The events today played frame by frame in his mind as he wondered where it went wrong. The first explosion was the trigger for sure, but when did he lose control of the situation? He changed into his own pajamas and let himself fall onto the bed like a sack of potatoes. He plays back the moment when she got shot and the way her head fell back. Damian actually thought he lost her. Though the laughing brought him no relief, the real panic set in when she was thrown overboard. He couldn’t help her. He couldn’t do anything.

The two turned in their beds as they struggled to fall asleep. The two teens thought to themselves the same sentence as it echoed through their minds as they played the day back inside their heads. “I’m a useless hero.”


	7. Wading

Marinette couldn’t sleep despite trying desperately to. She looked over Alya and Chloe sleeping on either side of her, they refused to leave her after what happened. She doesn’t know how much time has passed since getting to the room, if she was honest she doesn’t even know what time it was when she got to bed, and it made her frustrated. She carefully sat up and got out of bed, careful not to disturb her friends. She walked over to the bathroom, locking the door behind her and leaning against the wooden door.

“Marinette?” She looked over at Tikki and frowned. “Marinette-”

“I know, I know. I made a dumb decision.” She sighed and walked over to the bathtub and ran some water, keeping it at a nice warm temperature. “I’m sorry I put you through that.”

“Marinette, no. What I wanted to say was I’m sorry for not being of more use to you. Unless you become Ladybug, I can’t do a lot unless I reveal myself.” Tikki flew over to her holder and gently rubbed circles on her cheek, “Marinette, I’m sorry this happened.”

Marinette bit her lip and watched as the water began to rise slowly in the tub. “Tikki, am I a good Ladybug?”

“What? Why wouldn’t you be? You’re one of the best!” Tikki flew around to look Marinette in the eye, “Marinette, you’re a natural-born hero! Did you even see how well you handled the situation and how clever your plan was? You are a true Ladybug and I couldn’t be prouder!” Marinette gave Tikki a weak smile and just nodded. She snuck outside to get herself some warmer pajamas to change into and brought them back with her to the bathroom. Tikki knew what was going on, Marinette was starting to lock away her emotions. A common occurrence nowadays and a preventative measure to keep from becoming akumatized, but Tikki knew humans. Humans needed to be expressive and emotional to heal from their traumas. Locking her feelings away like this only left her with a robotic and cold Ladybug. “You know we aren’t in Paris, Marinette.”

“I know.” Marinette knew, she really did, but she couldn’t help it. Her feelings were just being pushed down and it’s become an impulse rather than something she actively and intentionally tries to do. She stripped herself down and sat in the warm water. She noted different things around her. The first was the tub, very expensive looking and deep. She looked around and noted the tile patterns and marble that were scattered around the room. She looked over at the mirror and decided she liked the way the lights were placed around the outer border. She watched the water and sat there waiting for it to get high enough to where her body could be comfortably submerged.

Marinette paid attention to more details around her to distract her from the fact that the warm waters did nothing now that she was like this. Despite the way her scalp hurt from having her hair pulled, she decided she liked the shampoo and conditioner they provided to her and used them liberally. She decided she liked the smell of the body wash she used. She stuck her head underwater to wash her hair and for a brief second that moment she hit the water when she was thrown overboard flashed in her mind. She sat up, most likely causing some of the water to splash out and tried to keep her breathing steady. Four counts in. Four counts hold. Four counts out. Tikki patted the girl’s head, making sure to remind the girl she wasn’t alone. Marinette took a moment to just sit there in the suds to just exist. No feelings, no thinking, just exist with the sensation of the warm water. She couldn’t tell if was helping anymore, she didn’t know if she was cold or not anymore. She sighed and pulled out the bath’s plug. Getting out, drying off, and changing into new pajamas was mechanical and she didn’t think about it. She didn’t think about anything and she didn’t want to.

She put away her towels and dirty clothes and grabbed a spare blanket from the dresser they provided. She held her arm out for Tikki to fly in and hide. She looked over at her two friends one last time and made sure to not wake them as she left. Marinette wandered for a bit, her mind not really present but her body moving towards something. She noted the authorities that were walking around. She watched as they moved around the yellow tape to look into the room that was bombed. She held no expression, even when authorities would ask her questions about why she was wandering around the ship so late. Marinette made her way towards the main deck and heard someone talking.

“What do you mean they disappeared? No, that makes no sense. There’s no reason for that to happen, they don’t have powers!” Marinette could hear the frustration in Dick’s voice and she walked closer to the source of the yelling. “Okay, but those kids belong to one of our staff members. Even the gun?” Dick groaned and ran his hand through his hair, “Please, give whatever footage you have to Batman to review.” He turned and noticed Marinette standing in the doorway watching him talk on the phone. “I’ll call back later. Just bring back the kids and bring Batman the footage. Bye.”

Dick tapped the ‘End Call’ button and walked over to the girl, “Hey, Marinette.” Dick immediately noted the lack of expression, it was creepy. He felt like he was talking to a doll, “Marinette, how are you feeling?” Marinette shrugged under her blanket and held steady eye contact. Dick knew what was happening, he’s been guilty of it a few times. Sometimes the mind can’t handle everything at once and locks it all up, the first time it happened was after his parents died but before Bruce took him in. The uncertainty and grief were too much and he just locked it away. Bruce helped with that, taking care of all his basic needs so he could focus on the emotional stuff. Being Robin helped him find closure and he was always grateful for that. Marinette didn’t have that. Dick sighed and just asked, “Do you want a hug?”

Marinette nodded and pushed herself into his arms. She held on tight and he squeezed her, trying his best to comfort the small girl. That was the weirdest thing for him to notice, her size. During the dinner, her personality was big and when she took charge her presence knew no bounds. Dick forgot how small Marinette actually was and that made him even madder for what she was put through. This was her night and they ruined it. “Marinette, do you want to talk about it?” Marinette shook her head no, “Do you want to sit down? I can keep hugging you, but bending down like this will hurt my back.” Marinette pulled away almost immediately and nodded. She looked a bit concerned, that was good. Dick walked her over to a lounge chair in a nearby sitting area and sat down, patting the spot beside him.

Marinette took her seat and leaned against Dick’s arm, prompting him to put it around her and hold her. Marinette closed her eyes and Dick noted the bags under her eyes. “You didn’t sleep, did you?”

Marinette shook her head and sighed. A small voice answered, “No.”

“Hey, I got a word out of you.” Dick sent her a small smile and she gave a polite one back. “I can’t imagine what that was like. You’ve been through a lot today. But I do know what you’re doing right now, the whole emotion thing.” Marinette buried herself more into her blanket and Dick’s side, but she didn’t tell him to stop talking. “I can’t relate to what you’ve been through, but I can relate to what you’re feeling.” Dick thought back to that time in his childhood, “It’s hard. It’s really hard because there’s just so much you feel that your brain tells you it’s safer not to feel altogether. But it only helps for a little bit, keeping you functioning until you find a time to go through those feelings.” Dick looked down at Marinette and noticed he had her full attention. “I’m a good listener, Marinette. If you want, we can go through some of it right now.”

Marinette couldn’t believe it, he hit the nail on the head. Hearing him describe what was happening inside her head so well really did it for her. She tried, she tried not to cry anymore. She tore her eyes away from Dick’s and clutched onto the blanket in an attempt to keep the tears at bay, but failed miserably. The first few tears hit the blanket and after seeing them absorb into the cotton, she found herself in a full-on crying fit. Dick just held her close, letting her bury her face in his shirt as she let it out. Dick rubbed calmly circles on her back and just bit his lip. This shouldn’t be happening, he should be watching her happily roaming the ship with his little brother following her around like a puppy. He should not be comforting her through an emotional breakdown after a traumatic event on what was supposed to be a joyful day. Dick gritted his teeth and made a personal vow to maim whoever let those pirates escape the holding cells.

Marinette could feel her mind and her heart having a battle inside her. Her mind yelled at her to stop, that she didn’t know this person well enough to be showing this side of her and that she needed to keep herself in check. However, her heart pleaded for release. Not just for today’s events, but for everything that led up to this. The frustration, the loneliness, the exhaustion, the sadness, everything. Dick didn’t judge, nor did he ever make a move to stop her, he just sat there and offered to be present.

Dick was snapped out of his thoughts when he noticed someone moving in his peripheral vision. He slowly turned his head in order not to alarm the crying girl and noticed Jason standing there looking shocked. He obviously didn’t mean to walk in on this, Jason was probably just looking for him to tell him something, but now he was stuck. Dick watched different emotions pass through Jason’s face; shock, panic, heartbreak, anger, and finally guilt. Dick didn’t want to stop Marinette, she clearly needed this, so instead he mouthed, “Close the door.” Jason hesitated for a second before quietly moving out of the room and closing the door. Dick knew he was no doubt going to tell the others, every one of them was going to go through the same emotional process he just did. This wasn’t like the other time when Damian upset her and they saw her crying in a hallway. She was mad, frustrated, and understandably so after Damian pushed her buttons. That made him mad at his brother. This? This was a floodgate of everything she was feeling for god knows how long. This made him heartbroken and absolutely pissed.

Marinette’s sobs eventually died down and she finally pulled away, wiping her eyes. She looked him over and gave a small laugh, “I ruined your shirt.” She sniffed and he looked down and, sure enough, the shirt was soaked in tears and snot. 

Dick shrugged, “Not like it’s my favorite. It’s just a t-shirt.”

Her voice sounded nasally from her nose being stuffed, “I can make you a new shirt.”

“I’ll buy you everything you need to do so.”

“Wouldn’t that be like buying a new shirt at a store?”

“No way. Not when I’m getting it custom made. I like blue and black or red and black.”

She snorted, “I like red and black too.” She stood up and wiped at her eyes again, “Oh my god, what time is it?”

“Late.”

“How late?”

“Don’t ask.” Dick yawned and stretched as if to emphasize the fact and Marinette nodded. “Are you tired yet?”

“No, not yet.”

“You look dead.”

“Oh thanks, I think the dark circles and puffy pink eyes really complement each other.” Dick laughed and stood up to give her one last hug. She wrapped her arms around him, “I’m sorry for that.”

“Don’t be.” He held her at arm’s length and looked her over one last time, “Why not go to the arcade and play some games. It could help the time pass until you do get tired.”

“What about the explosions?”

“They blew up individual rooms but nothing too damaging. It’s weird, they felt and sounded bigger than they actually were.” Marinette nodded and he ruffled her hair a bit before pushing her in the direction of the game room. “Now go. Immerse yourself, beat some high scores, make sure Tim knows you beat those high scores because they’re all his and it’ll drive him nuts.”

She laughed, “I’m going. I’m going.” She began walking before turning back, “Thank you, Richard.”

“No problem, Marinette.”

She smiled and ran down the halls to the arcade, noting that this one was probably the biggest on the ship. She walked around and looked at the machines, not knowing where to start before hearing music playing in the background. It wasn’t like the normal arcade soundtracks, it was an actual song. She wandered closer to the source and found herself watching a certain Wayne playing a dancing game. The game looked different, but had the same premise of the ones she would play at Alya’s house. Hitting the arrows, in this case the symbols, as they appear on the screen to the music and rack up points. It was always fun watching Alya and Nino play, they added so much flair to their dances, but Damian was different. He was so concentrated on the screen and he didn’t add any unnecessary movements, working only towards efficiency. She watched him miss no beats and the score count got higher and higher until he set a new record at the end of the song. He leaned back on the bar behind him and jumped when Marinette clapped.

“You’re really good at that game. I’ll admit I didn’t take you for a dancer.”

He looked her over and shrugged, “I’m not. This game helps me concentrate and keeps me agile.”

“Uh-huh. Sure.” He watched her curiously as she made her way over on stage with him. She started to tease him, “Damian likes dancing games.”

“I do not.”

“Uh-huh, that’s why your name is all over this game’s leader board.” She pointed at the screen and sure enough ‘DAM’ was all over the board. He frowned and she grinned. “You like it.”

“So I enjoy this game? So what?”

“Nothing! Nothing!” She turned and opened her blanket a bit, letting Tikki know she was taking it off so she could find somewhere to hide, before putting it down neatly beside the stage. “I really like this game too.”

Damian raised an eyebrow at her, “Marinette Dupain-Cheng, are you challenging me?”

“You said it not me.” Damian smirked, “What?”

“You’re going to lose.”

Marinette scoffed, “We’ll see.” Marinette went through the library of songs and noticed one that seemed to be cleared on every level, “I didn’t take you for a K-Pop fan.”

“I’m not. That was the first song I ever played on this game. It was at a carnival with some of my teammates and one of them was getting too cocky.” Damian thought back to that night and how great he felt beating Beast Boy at his own game. “Dethroned him real quick.”

“Then let’s do that one.” She pressed the button and the screen started its count down.

“Are you sure? It’s my best song.”

“I just want to see if I can keep up. If I beat you in the process then that’s just a bonus.” Damian rolled his eyes and honed on the screen as that music started to play. Marinette knew she wasn’t in the right mindset to be playing this, she was tired and had just finished crying, but she couldn’t help it. Her competitive nature got the better of her and her small desire to know Damian a bit better was satisfied with this new information. The arrows were replaced with a crescent moon facing downward, a lightning bolt, a circle, and a star and the song ‘Crazzee Boi’ filled her ears. She struggled and found herself not being able to keep up.

“Just concentrate.” She didn’t look over, keeping her eyes trained on the screen, but listened all the same. “Don’t think about what’s going on around you, just focus on the screen and focus on what’s coming next. There’s too many things happening at once for you to train your eyes on the stuff that’s hitting you in the moment. Focus on what you need to do next to continue moving forward.” She gulped and took a deep breath before honing in on the screen in front of her. She did what he told her to do and moved her eye away from the action line and more towards the bottom half of the screen to see what was coming up. Soon enough, she felt a change in her body and she was moving to the beat of the music in a way she never could before.

If anyone were to look in, they’d see two teens on top of a dancing machine moving almost in sync to each other and the music. There were some differences, Damian’s motions were precise and efficient while Marinette’s were fluid and she added the tiniest bits of flair when she could. Still, they complimented each other, moving to the same beat and making the same moves. Marinette wouldn’t have noticed being so focused on the game, but Damian knew this song almost as well as he knew his brothers’ weaknesses. He could look away without penalty and he did, making sure to steal glances to watch the girl beside him. Admiring her concentration, determination, and the competitive shimmer in her eye.

The song was coming to a close and with one final jump, the song finished and the two waited with bated breath to see the winner. The game ultimately gave Damian the winner, but only by a few hundred points. “You did well.”

“Thanks, not bad for my first time on this machine.”

“Not bad at all.” The two laughed and in the glow of the congratulations screen he finally noticed her face. He noticed the slight hint of pink and the puffiness that had yet to go down. Damian decided she came for the same reason he did, he couldn’t sleep and he couldn’t escape his own thoughts. “Do you want to play some more games?” She nodded and grabbed her blanket as they made their way through the arcade. Trying every console at least once and winning prizes where they could. The two started to yawn and feel tired, Marinette laughed at Damian for actually being human enough to get tired. “Why is that so surprising?”

“It’s not. It’s just that your brothers always make fun of you for doing normal stuff. I figured this was appropriate.”

Damian rolled his eyes, “You catch on quickly.”

Marinette giggled, “I try.” The two continued to drag their feet the more tired they got until they finally went into a shooting game. The game had a bench and curtain to block out the outside lights and sounds to immerse the players in the game. Despite it being a shooter game with loud noises and flashing lights, Marinette felt herself nod off leaning against her gaming partner.

Damian yawned, “You’re making us lose.”

She shook her head, “You can do it.”

Damian tried, but ended up dying in the game due to lack of focus. He looked at the girl leaning next to him and tried to nudge her awake, but it didn’t help. One more yawn had him leaning against her and closing his eyes, unable to fight it anymore. The two nodded off in the arcade, cut off from the rest of the boat by a curtain and lulled to sleep by the sounds of gunshots from the game.

“Told you they were here.”

“They look so cute.”

“Yeah, but when she wakes up I will kick her butt for scaring me.”

“Oh come on, look at them. You can’t tell me this isn’t cute.”

“Sure, cute, but that doesn’t negate the fact that I wasted my precious time looking for her.”

“Chloe, hush!”

Damian groaned and tried to stretch, but felt a weight pressed against his chest. “Oh no, he’s waking up.”

“Quick, start recording!”

Damian rubbed his eyes and cracked one open, the first thing he noticed was Marinette sleeping on his chest and her blanket covering them. “Huh?” The second thing he noticed were the eyes. He looked around and saw his brothers and Marinette’s friends, one of which he didn’t recognize, looking past the curtains and watching them. Lastly, he noticed both Alya and Jason recording. He frowned and tried to sit up, his back hurting from the awkward sleeping place. “Can someone get her off of me?”

Jason shrugged, “I don’t know man, she looks pretty comfortable.”

Adrien snorted, “Besides, you don’t want to be the one to wake up Marinette before she’s ready. She gets hissy.”

The small pink-haired girl snickered, “Oh my god, didn’t she almost scratch you for trying to wake her up that one time?”

Tim grinned, “Oh perfect, those two are basically cats then. Just feed them, play with them, let them sleep, and then you’re golden.”

Chloe huffed, “Well, looking for her wasted our morning and she has to pay for that.”

Dick laughed, “Damian, it’s almost 1 in the afternoon.”

Damian groaned, “Grayson, that’s not funny.”

Tim rolled his eyes, “No. You know what isn’t funny? Us getting a frantic call from Alya that Marinette went missing and then you couldn’t be reached no matter what we did. Then Alix here came over to all of us panicking and told us you were sleeping here.” He crossed his arms and mimicked Chloe, “She’s right. You owe us.”

Alya shrugged, “I don’t know. Having this kind of dirt on them is great. Also, it’d be great to play this on their wedding day.”

Jason raised his hand, “We could sell it to Lois and Clark! Exclusive! ‘Demon Spawn Feels’! Or ‘Demon Spawn Finds Love’!”

Damian glared at Jason, “You’ll find your guns in the Gotham harbor if you even try to do that, Todd.” Damian suddenly felt a hand slap onto his mouth, “What?”

Marinette pressed her hand down harder and mumbled, “Still sleeping, shhhhh.”

Damian didn’t know how to respond while everyone else bit their lips to keep from laughing. Damian rolled his eyes before moving Marinette’s hand away, “Marinette, wake up.”

Marinette groaned and buried her face in the blanket, “No.”

Damian thought for a moment before getting an idea, “Marinette, my father is right next to us and wants to talk to you.” Marinette shot straight up and hit her head against the top of the machine’s pod, immediately sitting down and groaning. Damian sat up and grabbed her head gently, “Well, good news. No bleeding. You’ll live.”

Marinette pulled away and rubbed her head, “Wow, thanks.” She looked around and finally took in everything around her. “Please tell me you haven’t been recording this whole time.”

Alya shrugged, “Not the whole time, just most of the time.” She laughed, “Serves you right for sneaking out last night.”

Marinette wrapped herself in her blanker again and leaned back, “Do I have to get up?”

Adrien looked at Nino and then back to Marinette, “Marinette it’s almost one.”

“What?”

Alix shook her head, “The other girls will be dying to hear about this.”

Jason chuckled, “Plus, Bruce has been looking for you two since 11.”

In unison, the two yelled, “WHAT?”

The two bolted out of their respective sides and ran towards their rooms, leaving behind a group laughing and shaking their heads.

Jason looked over at Alya, “When do you think it’ll happen?”

Alya hummed, “I’m not sure. When she liked Adrien, she couldn’t even think straight. With Damian it’s different, she actually holds a conversation with him and teases him back.”

Adrien spoke up, “Wait, she liked me?”

Alix looked over and raised an eyebrow at Adrien, “Dude, she liked you for years.”

“YEARS?”

Chloe smiled, “You always were a bit dense, Adrikins.”

Adrien pouted, “Blame the lack of social interaction.”

Nino patted his shoulder, “We do. We always do.”

Tim shook his head, “No, no, no, no. We’re missing the bigger question here. One we can actually bet on. Who’s going to say it first? Marinette or Damian?”

Alix snorted, “Marinette no question. The girl can’t hold it in to save her life and unlike Adrien, Damian will pick up on it.”

Dick hummed, “I don’t know. Damian has been acting extremely tame with her around. He’s blunt so he might just blurt it out.”

The group bickered amongst themselves while the two in question were frantically trying to make themselves presentable to the one and only Bruce Wayne. The group slowly found themselves in other conversations as they waited on the couple. Alix and Jason made an instant bond through their competitive spirit and need to outdo the other. Alya and Tim were discussing researching techniques. Chloe, Adrien, and Dick started a conversation about dress and hairstyles after Chloe offered to ‘fix’ Dick’s hair. All the while, Nino stood back and stayed by Alya’s side just feeling present in the moment as he looked around the arcade. He found himself drawn to a few rhythm games until the group heard rapid footsteps approaching the room. Their two friends burst into the room, panting, dressed but disheveled as they rushed to get back to the group.

Alix looked away from her game, “Marinette, you look like you just got out of a tornado.”

Dick looked the two over and hummed, “Both of you do.”

The two kids looked up and looked each other over. Marinette made a face before walking over and fixing Damian’s collar, “Really? That shirt with those jeans?”

Damian rolled his eyes and started to fix the short sleeves on Marinette’s blouse, “Yeah, whatever. Aren’t you going to get cold wearing this?”

Marinette huffed and straighten out his shirt and cuffs, “You’re just mad because you looked like you got mugged by some back alley crook.”

Damian scoffed and smoothed out some of the wrinkles, “Yeah and your friend is right. Where’s Todo? Don’t you two have a wizard to find?”

Marinette stepped back, looking him over once more before messing with his hair a bit, “Oh ha-ha. Very funny. At least I got ready before you did.”

Damian shook his head and pulled away, “You did not!” Damian looked her over one last time before turning her around, “Hold on, this pigtail is uneven.”

“Really?”

He pulled at the hair carefully adjusting it, “I don’t want Father to see us looking like we just woke up.”

Marinette turned back around and scrunched up her nose, “We did just wake up.”

“Details, details.” They looked each other over one last time and nodded, satisfied with their work on the other and turned back to the group. “Where did Father want us to meet him?” The two noted how the group before them stared in a weird mix of shock and amusement. “What?”

Tim shook his head and blinked a few times, “That didn’t just happen.”

Alya’s eyebrows could’ve touched the high ceilings, “You guys are very comfortable with each other for someone you met a day ago.”

Marinette looked at her friend confused, “What do you mean?”

Jason laughed, “I have never seen that happen before. He won’t even let Alfred go near him without a fight.”

Alix whistled, “Yup, this is going way better than it ever did with Adrien.” Marinette made a face, but still looked confused at the implications.

Nino just shook his head and pointed at the two teens, “What a rare sight to behold!” The group started to giggle as Nino upped the antics, “Here we have an old married couple in their natural state of being. Bickering at each other and fixing each other up like they’ve been doing it for years!”

The two looked each other over before realizing how weird that must’ve been to just start fixing each other’s clothes the way they did. It was so natural, they didn’t even realize it. Marinette’s face heated up, “I blame the lack of sleep and everything else that happened that night.”

Damian tried his best to keep his own composure, “Likewise.”

Chloe rolled her eyes, “Bruce is still waiting for you, you know? Tick-Tock Dupain-Cheng.” The two tensed up, completely forgetting why they rushed in the first place and ran to look for the man. “Did anyone tell them where to find him?”

Dick just shrugged, “They’ll figure it out.”

The two were running through the halls, asking anyone and everyone if they knew where Bruce was. “Shouldn’t you know where he likes to hang out? He’s your father!”

“If I knew that, we wouldn’t be running around now would we?” Damian turned another corner towards a small office and bumped into another man, knocking out everything he held. “Hey! Watch it!”

Marinette walked over and frowned, “Oh my god, you hurt Charles.”

“Who?”

Marinette walked over and helped the man up, “Are you going to help or not?”

“We don’t have time for-”

Marinette glared at him, “Help.” Damian groaned and started to help pick up the various items Charles was holding, handing them over after Marinette was done looking after him. She noted how disoriented he looked, how tired he was, and how messy his ‘fancy uniform’ was. Damian waiting for her impatiently caused her to override her need to fuss over the man and instead asked, “Sorry about that, we’re looking for Bruce.”

Charles blinked a few times before rubbing his temples, “Mr. Wayne? He’s in the main atrium by the second floor’s main stairway.”

Damian grabbed Marinette’s wrist before she could ask any further questions and ran. Sure enough, his father was standing there with a few colleagues. He let Marinette go, straightened himself out, and walked over. Marinette didn’t know why he felt the need to act so formal with his father, but she didn’t pry. “Father, I hear you’ve been looking for us.”

Bruce excused himself and walked over to the two teens, “From what I hear, I wasn’t the only one looking for you two. Where did they find you?”

Marinette could feel her face heat up slightly from embarrassment, “We fell asleep in the arcade. It’s my fault, I insisted we play more games and I guess we just knocked out.”

Damian looked her over, he was sure he was the one to suggest more games, but his father snapped him out of his thoughts. Bruce looked at his son amused, “Well, you two seem lively today at least.” Damian glared at his father who just smirked, “Glad you’re making friends.”

Damian rolled his eyes, “I really don’t think you called us here just to ask about how we slept.”

“How did you sleep?”

Marinette thought for a moment and stretched, “Not bad considering the setting.” She yawned, “I just wish I slept more.”

Damian rubbed his eyes, “Yeah, I can agree with that.” He leaned back and stretched, “Father, why are we here?”

Bruce looked over the two teens and sighed, “Come with me.” Marinette looked over at Damian for some kind of clue, but Damian didn’t even look her way as he followed his father. Marinette walked beside Damian, getting nervous by all the silence between the three. “I must apologize to you, Marinette.”

“Huh?” She ran forward a bit to walk beside Bruce and look up at his face, “What do you mean?”

“This was supposed to be a relaxing vacation for your hard work. So far, you’ve been put into numerous upsetting situations and have been thrown overboard.”

Marinette was quick to reassure, “No! No! No need to apologize!” She sighed and played with her pigtails, voice becoming smaller as she uttered, “I’ve been through worse.” She thought back to the various Akumas and how they compared, last night was terrifying because she wasn’t transformed. Still, there have been other situations that trump being thrown overboard by far. However, the laughing gas that took control over her and the man being rough with her as he threw her over the rails placed this event in the top 10 worst incidents she’s ever been through.

He frowned and looked over the girl, “You did surprise me though.”

She looked up surprised, “Oh? Really?”

Bruce nodded, “Not every day a teenager comes up with a plan on the spot to save a ship.”

“Oh! That.” Marinette shook her head and just chuckled, “Honestly, it was nothing. You should see how Ladybug saves Paris sometimes. The items Lucky Charm gives her are, in Chloe’s words, ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous.” Marinette laughed, “She’s saved the day using a towel, a traffic cone, a teapot, almost anything normal you could think of.” She held a bittersweet smile on her face, “Trust me. This was nothing.”

“I don’t call saving all these passengers and throwing yourself in front of my son ‘nothing’.” Damian knew he was leading them to a lounge on the upper deck. It was where his father would go to escape the crowds and someplace he refused to let him or any of the other boys enter without swearing to behave lest getting kicked out. “A natural leader.”

Marinette frowned, “What?”

Bruce smiled at her, “You’re a natural leader. Despite what you think about yourself, you’re the one who saved the ship last night.”

Marinette’s face lit up a bright pink and she shook her head, “No! No! Batman did with his partner! I just played some loud music.”

Damian spoke up, “You did not!” Bruce and Marinette stopped and turned to Damian, “You came up with a plan on the spot using mundane resources your friend brought onto the ship and lead a team of three to successfully execute a mission to distract the enemy. Not only that, but your teammates consisted of me, a model, and an idiot. While I can handle myself, Adrien isn’t trained for this kind of thing and Jason’s Jason.” Damian sighed, not really knowing where that outburst came from, “You risked your life for everyone. That’s heroic if you ask me.”

Bruce watched as Marinette and Damian looked at each other, each looking like they had more to add but unable to say it. Bruce cleared his throat, snapping the two back to the present, and nodded. “Damian’s right. You deserve a reward.”

“But I already got a reward.”

Bruce stopped in front of a door and unlocked it, “A new reward.” He opened the door to a den that was extravagant and Marinette couldn’t stop herself from roaming the room.

“This is so beautiful!” She looked around the different shelves and gasped, “Another ship in a bottle!” She carefully held it and bounced, full of childish excitement, “Where do you guys get these? I want one! I love looking at them, they’re so small and intricate and-” She looked back at the Waynes and noticed them staring at her, both amused as they watched her barge in and look around like a kid in a candy store. She cleared her throat, painfully aware of the blush spreading across her face and neck, and carefully placed the bottle back. “Sorry.”

Bruce shook his head, “Don’t be.” He walked over to a small safe hiding underneath a shelf, “We’ve docked at Santander, Spain for the time being as this whole mess gets sorted out. Santander is a lovely little city to explore and if you’d like to head to a bigger city you could head to Bilbao.” He pulled out some cash and closed the safe door, “Escorted of course.” Damian nodded, even if Bruce didn’t directly tell him to be the escort, he knew Bruce referred to him. “All expenses paid for you and your class.”

Marinette looked at the money Bruce placed in front of her, “No! I couldn’t possibly-”

Bruce thought for a second and sighed, turning away from Marinette and walking towards Damian, “My hopes for this trip was to be a vacation for you and your class. Not even a few days in and those plans are ruined. I just want to make it up to you and your classmates.” Bruce trailed off sounding disappointed and Marinette bit her lip.

Marinette sighed, “If my classmates are going to go, as their class president I should too. Thank you.”

Damian saw his father smirk before turning around and handing her some money, “Perfect. I’ll give each of your classmates some spending money so you can all explore.”

Damian rolled his eyes, acknowledging his father’s cute attempt at manipulation, “I’ll go too. Like Father said, you need an escort.”

Marinette raised an eyebrow at Damian, “You know your way around a city in Spain?”

Damian smirked, “Just give me a few minutes and I will.” He pulled out his phone and started typing some things in, “Come on. We can go look at the beaches or park or something.” Damian held the door open for Marinette, “I’m assuming we’ll be leaving tomorrow as today is already late into the afternoon.”

Bruce nodded, “Try not to sleep through your group leaving tomorrow morning.”

Damian scowled and Marinette shook her head, “Please don’t remind me.” She sighed and sent the man a very genuine smile, “Thank you. Despite everything that’s happened, I’m glad I got the chance to be on this ship.”

Bruce couldn’t help but smile back, “I’m glad you were the winner.” Marinette nodded and walked out the door, “Damian.”

Damian turned to his father, “Yes?”

“I know you’re not used to this type of thing, but try to loosen up. If anything happens I know you can take care of it, but know that this isn’t a mission. You aren’t Robin right now. You are just Damian.”

“Just Damian has gotten into his fair share of trouble these past few days.”

“Please try, Damian.” There was a moment of silence before Damian just walked out and ran to catch up with Marinette.

Marinette waited for him to catch up, “You okay?”

Damian shrugged, “No reason not to be.”

Marinette yawned and put the money in her purse, “What do you want to do now?”

Before Damian could respond Marinette’s stomach growled loudly and he chuckled, “I think we should eat.” Marinette covered her stomach, embarrassed, and just nodded. Damian chuckled at the girl who just nudged him before laughing along with him. The two chatted as they made their way through the ship to get some food, if anyone were to look over they would say the two were in their own little world. Content and calm as they held a steady conversation with each other. 

They eventually made their way to the food before being stopped in front of the dining hall when someone called Marinette’s name. She turned to see three people running towards her, “I see you’ve made it down here!” Alix smiled, “You look a lot more awake now.”

Rose smiled brightly at the two, “Yeah! Alix told us how she found you two sleeping in the game room. That’s so sweet!” The two teens blushed, Marinette more intensely than Damian, but both felt the same amount of embarrassment.

Juleka shook her head at Rose’s bluntness, “Rose why don’t you give Marinette the thing.”

Marinette looked at the three confused before Rose held out some red fabric and her black shoes, “My dress!”

Juleka shrugged, “Yeah, it was just on the floor. Honestly didn’t realize it was yours until Lila brought it up to us.”

Marinette took the fabric and shoes into her arms before looking at her friends confused, “Lila?”

“Yeah.” The five turned to see the brunette walking towards them, “See, I told you you’d reach her faster than I could.”

Alix smirked, “Obviously.”

Juleka rolled her eyes, knowing that the comment only stroked Alix’s ego, “Come on Rose. Marinette, if you want to you can come sit next to us for dinner.” Juleka dragged Rose away from the two, mainly to save them from Rose’s questions about their budding relationship. She could see they weren’t there quite yet, but something was definitely blooming between the two. She was sure others saw it too as they made their way across the ship. 

Alix’s stomach growled and she laughed nervously at the group, “I need some food before I starve. I’ll be sitting with Kim and Max towards the back if you decide you don’t want Rose interrogating you two.” Alix winked at them before running to get food, leaving three teens standing awkwardly in front of the entrance.

Damian already didn’t like this girl and could feel his anxiety spike around her. That was never a good sign, “Let’s go eat already.”

Lila frowned and looked down, playing with her bracelet and acting coy, “But don’t I get a thank you?”

Marinette sighed and reluctantly said, “Thank you, Lila.”

Lila looked the two over before smirking, “You must be proud of yourself. Coming up with that plan on the spot was really something.” She walked forward a bit, pushing herself into Marinette’s personal space.

Marinette did her best to stand her ground, but she noticeably tensed up as Lila got closer. Damian grabbed her arm not wanting this to end up like that time in the rec room, “Let’s go, Marinette.”

Lila completely ignored the boy and held steady eye contact with Marinette. Her smile became demeaning, “You know something, I will say that it was odd that you left your skirt behind. I didn’t see much, but you and your little friend here were in that closet for some time with no cameras or anything. From what I can tell, they couldn’t reach you right away either.”

Marinette could feel her heart rate spike the same way it did when she was facing an Akuma. She swallowed the saliva in her mouth and did her best to keep her voice steady, “What are you trying to get at, Lila?”

“Marinette!” The three looked over and saw a familiar group running towards them with a girl running towards the front. 

Marinette could feel the tension vanish from her, “Alya?” Alya tackled Marinette, almost causing her to fall back, “Alya! Stop doing that!”

“No way, after yesterday I’m going to do this as long as I have a running start.” Marinette rolled her eyes and hugged back. Alya pulled away and turned to the other girl, “Oh! Lila! Hey, what have you been up to?”

Lila smiled back at Alya and her voice became cheerful, “Oh just wandering the ship. I came to return Marinette’s dress that she left behind.”

Alya looked at the items in Marinette’s arms and smiled, “Oh, that’s really cool of you Lila.”

“It’s nothing really.” Lila gasped as if she remembered something and smiled, “I saw a dog on the boat. It was cute!”

The rest of the group caught up and Nino panted, “You have to stop doing that, babe.”

Alya, ignoring her boyfriend’s whine, got excited, “A dog? What type?”

Damian started to slowly pull Marinette away from the girl but not before Lila looked Marinette right in the eyes and smugly stated, “Oh, it was a tramp.”

Damian scowled and pulled Marinette away forcefully, taking her inside the room and sitting down at a large table alone. “Sit.” Marinette did as she was told, almost as if she were on autopilot, and looked down at her lap. Damian frowned, “I know you’re worried about an Akuma, but we’re in a different country. I don’t know why you put up with her.” Marinette tensed up and Damian glared at the girl as she talked to her classmates, not even noticing that his brothers followed them and sat down at the same table.

Jason looked confused, “What was that about?”

Tim sighed, also glaring at the girl, “I thought it was obvious.”

“What was obvious?”

“That she called Marinette a-” Marinette abruptly stood up and walked away from the table, leaving the four brothers behind at the table startled, “tramp.”

Damian switched his glare over to his brother, “Really?”

Dick shook his head, “It’s like her friends don’t even see it. As far as I can tell, the only other two not wrapped around her finger are Adrien and Chloe.” He watched as Chloe and Adrien did their best to peel themselves away from the conversation, “I don’t get it.”

Jason just growled and pleaded with his brothers, “Again, we have the presentation. Most of her classmates are here anyway, we could do this now.”

Damian rolled his eyes, “Yeah, and then Marinette will be mad at you forever and refuse to talk to you for the rest of the trip.”

“She’ll forgive me.”

“In your dreams.”

Jason rolled his eyes, “Seriously though, we can’t let her put up with this.” He looked over at Dick, “Give me five minutes, I can take her.”

“No Jason!”

Jason crossed his arms and huffed before turning to Damian, “Don’t think you’re out of the woods yet either.”

Damian looked over at his brother and narrowed his eyes, “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

The second youngest of the group looked between the two and bit his lip. He sighed and asked, “Why didn’t you take out the gunman?”

“What?”

Jason tilted his head and remained unamused, “You took down Superman once when he was possessed by Trigon and you really expect us to believe you couldn’t take out a crazy guy with a gun?”

Damian became defensive, tensing up and leaning away from his brothers, “He had it pointed at her head and one wrong move could’ve gotten her shot at point-blank range.”

Dick shook his head, “Come on Damian. You’ve fought in worse situations, many of them with hostages, and you expect me to believe that?”

Damian crossed his arms, he didn’t like being interrogated, “Blame Father. When he told me about this trip he swore to me if he found out I did anything out of line he’d retire me for good. No Robin, no Titans, nothing. He threatened me with boarding school.”

Jason looked him over and gave Damian a look that could only be described as annoyed disbelief, “That’s never stopped you before.”

“Yeah, but before I had the energy to not give a damn about whatever he said.” He looked back at Marinette getting food and talking with a few classmates, “She looked terrified. She didn’t have to say anything, but she was practically begging me to comply.” He sighed, “If I did try to take him out I know I would’ve lost my composure and hurt him. Badly. Father would’ve been upset and I don’t think Marinette would’ve forgiven me either.” He watched her float around, catching up with everybody before she looked up and caught his eye. She smiled and waved at him prompting him to turn back to the table, embarrassed about being caught staring, “She doesn’t know I’m Robin and I don’t want her to. I’m just Damian to her and I want to keep it that way.”

Tim watched her as well and hummed, “You guys might have more in common than you think.”

“What are you-”

Dick licked his lips before interrupting, “We told him about your little conversation with Captain Staller.”

Damian looked at Dick for a second confused before realizing what he meant, “Oh.”

Tim sighed and took out his phone, “Look, as far as I can tell many different superheroes have popped up around Paris over the years and I’m 89% sure she’s one of them.” He scrolled through the digital file and looked at all the pictures he collected, “Because it’s magic, the suits alter their physical appearances enough to make it hard to pinpoint which one she is.”

Damian’s interest was peaked, “Do you have a guess?”

Jason scoffed, “Are you guys serious? She’s obviously Ladybug.” The table froze and turned to him, “What?”

Dick shrugged, “I don’t know. You just said you thought our new tiny friend over there could be a superhero who’s been fighting a crazy magic terrorist for two years. Maybe that’s it.”

Tim scrolled through before pulling up a mouse themed hero, “I was going to say this was Marinette.”

Jason looked at the photo and passed the phone over to his other two brothers while he shook his head, “No way, did you guys see the way she bossed Bruce around. No temporary, one time heroine has that type of confidence. She’s been doing this for years.”

Tim frowned, “Prove it.”

“What?”

“We need proof that she’s Ladybug.”

“That who’s Ladybug?” The four looked up to see Marinette’s friends walk over and sit around the table. Alya smiled, “I love hearing other people’s theories. I can post it on the Ladyblog if you’d like.”

Damian shook his head, “He thinks one of your classmates could be Ladybug.”

Chloe scoffed, “Oh please, no one in this class is hero material other than me and maybe Adrien.” Adrien tensed slightly but went unnoticed due to years of controlling his body during modeling sessions.

Alya rolled her eyes, “If you want to hear crazy theories, I got one.”

Dick smiled, happy to get away from the tense subject prior, “Do tell.”

Alya smirked, “Okay, there’s no reason Batman and Robin-”

“Red Robin!”

“Okay, Red Robin – Thanks Tim – should be here on the ship or in Europe unless he was one of the passengers.”

Nino rolled his eyes and smiled. Nino loved seeing Alya get this fired up, “And who exactly could be Batman in this ship?”

Alya looked over at Nino with a knowing smiled before confidently announcing, “Bruce Wayne.”

“WHAT?” The chorus of four boys alongside Marinette, who came within earshot of the table, resonated in the room. Marinette put her plate down and groaned, “Alya, you cannot actually believe Bruce is Batman.”

Alya huffed, “And why not? He’s the same build, plus he only showed up after Bruce left the room. Batman knew his way around the boat from what I could see in the cameras and he didn’t need to talk to any of us to understand the situation. He has to be a passenger and I’m betting on Bruce.”

Adrien laughed, “You’re going down a weird rabbit hole.”

“Watch it, Agreste.” She looked over the four Wayne boys, “If I’m right, blink once.” All four boys in that moment did their best to not blink until her attention went somewhere else. 

Marinette rolled her eyes and sighed, “And who is Red Robin then?”

Alya hummed, “I don’t know.” She looked up and narrowed her eyes at Tim, “You weren’t around either.”

Tim tensed and Dick stood up abruptly, “Okay! I think it’s time to get food.”

Alya jumped up before they left the table, “Wait you still didn’t tell us who you think Ladybug is!”

Jason shrugged and bluntly stated, “Marinette.”

“WHAT?” The Parisian students all stared at the man wide-eyed and shocked. There was a moment of heavy silence before three out of the five classmates started laughing, “You actually think it’s Marinette?”

Chloe wiped a tear from her eye, “Seriously, have you seen how clutzy she is? No offense, but you are a walking hazard.”

Marinette huffed, “I’m not that bad!” Her friends stared her down until she reluctantly tacked on, “Not anymore.”

Adrien shook his head and quickly jumped into the conversation to protect his lady, “No way. Marinette can’t be Ladybug.”

Jason crossed his arms, “And why not? No offense, but I know a badass when I see one.” Marinette, despite being accused smiled at Jason. She hasn’t heard someone compliment her as Marinette like that and it made her feel a bit of pride. Jason saw this small spark in her and winked, “She saved the day. I think she’s a good candidate.”

Nino shook his head, “No, you guys don’t get it. We’ve seen Marinette and Ladybug in the same place.”

Jason deflated, “Really? When?”

Alya sighed and thought for a moment, “That was way back when they were first starting out. Timebreaker, right?”

Chloe winced, “Oh yeah, I caused that one.”

Damian didn’t miss how relieved Marinette got, “Are you sure they were in the same place?”

Adrien nodded, “Yeah, Marinette ran away with the rest of us.”

Tim looked over at Jason with a smug look on his face, “So I was right. Again. She’s not Ladybug.”

Jason pouted and walked over to Marinette, “I think you’re cool enough to be a hero.”

Marinette smiled warmly at Jason, “Thanks, but I’m really not.”

Alya snorted, “Now that’s a lie. You totally could be a hero. Honestly, I’m surprised Ladybug hasn’t recruited you yet.”

Chloe simply nodded, “I hate to admit it, but you would make a good asset to the team.”

Damian noted how Marinette seemed touched by her friends’ words, “You guys are sweet.”

Alya smirked, “One theory shot down, but my theory still stands.” The four brothers groaned and left the table to grab their food, “What?”

Adrien shrugged and sarcastically said, “I don’t know Alya, you just accused their dad of being a vigilante.”

Alya rolled her eyes, “As if they don’t know.”

Marinette shook her head, “No way Bruce is Batman. He’s too nice.”

Chloe hummed, “That makes the perfect cover then, doesn’t it? Playboy, dad millionaire by day, bat-themed hero by night.”

Adrien thought for a moment, “Then why would he leave Gotham? Wouldn’t it be too dangerous?”

Alya laughed haughtily, “You guys need to do research. Luckily, you are talking to France’s biggest superhero addict.” She pulled up her phone and started scrolling through different pictures of bat and bird-themed heroes, “He has an army of different heroes under his watch. Batgirl, Batwing, Nightwing, Robin, Red Hood (although he’s questionable), and who knows who else!” She wore a smug smile, “We’re going to be here for a while so that gives plenty of chances to investigate and prove my theory.”

Marinette frowned and sent a small glare at her best friend, “Where was this determination during our last research project?”

Alya wilted and laughed nervously, “Oh, well, um-” The four brothers came back to the table and she perked up, “So if I find proof your dad is Batman will you admit I’m right?”

Damian rolled his eyes, “Yeah, sure Alya.”

Jason huffed, “I’m not giving up on my theory though.” He turned to Marinette and pointed at her, “Yesterday was crazy, but you kept your cool and saved the other passengers. I know you said it’s because you’re used to this stuff in Paris, but there’s no way a normal girl can push Bruce out of the way and take charge like that.” He took a large bite of his food and with a full mouth said, “You are a hero. I know you are.”

Damian watched Marinette’s reaction very closely, noting how she would tense up anytime they would directly accuse her. Damian had his own suspicions, if she wasn’t Ladybug, then Tim’s theory could be right. Still, she has too much experience for someone only called to be a hero once or twice. It didn’t add up. He looked over at his brother and noted the fire in his eyes, he’s never seen Jason so sure of himself. Marinette looked so serious, he knew Jason hit a nerve.

“I believe it too.” Marinette whipped her head around and stared at Damian, “I agree with Jason. I don’t know how, but you are a hero.”

Tim coughed up his drink and yanked his phone back, quickly typing something on it. “I need to record this. The little brat actually agrees with Jason on something.” Damian gritted his teeth and avoided the shocked expression on Dick’s face and definitely avoided the joy on Jason’s face. 

Marinette couldn’t believe what was happening around her. Two people she’s barely met both correctly guessed her secret identity. Weirdest thing? She wasn’t panicking. She felt confused. She didn’t know how she felt about any of it. She looked into herself and noted how even though she was nervous, she wasn’t going over the edge like she did yesterday when her friends interrogated her. She didn’t know what was different, but she still needed to answer the group. Her eyes met Adrien’s and in a quick moment of silent communication, she knew he would support her no matter what she said. She looked down and sighed, dejected and firmly stated, “No. I’m not a hero. I’m Marinette Dupain Cheng. That’s it.”

Alya pitied her friend, knowing that if she was Ladybug she would’ve given Marinette a Miraculous as soon as she had the chance. She shook her head, “Enough. Marinette’s a hero in her own right. Miraculous or not.” She pointed at the boys, “But I’m still convinced Bruce is Batman!”

Tim met her stare with an equally determined one of his own, “And we’re convinced Marinette’s a hero!” He put out his hand towards the future reported, leaning over the table with a determined look on his face, “May the best investigator win.”

Alya grinned and firmly grasped Tim’s hand, slightly startling him with her grip. Tension held the table hostage. The heavy air sat between the group as both sides had their own theories as to who’s the true hero. Marinette could feel Damian’s eyes glued onto her. She couldn’t bring herself to look him in the eye, she just knew he’d know she was lying. She hated lying, but it was necessary to keep her secret hidden. Alya, unaware of the pressure she built, smugly stated, “I plan to.”

Dick sighed looked over to Damian and Marinette, “I wanted to ask you if Bruce told you about what happened late last night.”

The two snapped their attention to Dick and Marinette shook her head, “What are you talking about?”

Dick looked over at Jason and Tim, uncertain and nervous on how to proceed. Damian frowned, “What are you talking about Grayson?”

Dick shook his head and mumbled, “What the hell Bruce?” At this point, the whole table silently waited for a response and Dick could feel the pressure. Dick looked around and pointed, “Ask him yourself.”

The table all turned to see Bruce walking over, his smile fell after seeing everyone’s faces. The kids were all confused and the two teens of interest both held looks of concern. “What are we talking about?”

Dick pinched the bridge of his nose, “You didn’t tell them.”

Bruce glared at him, “No and I wasn’t going to. She doesn’t need to know.”

“To be fair,” the two men turned to a scowling Marinette, “I don’t like people talking about things concerning me behind my back.” Marinette narrowed her eyes at Bruce, “What don’t I know?”

Bruce was surprised, he didn’t realize this girl had it in her to look at anyone like that. Her resolve oozed out of every pore as she stared him down, something most Gotham villains can’t do. Bruce sighed and knelt down in front of her, Damian tensed considering he’s only ever seen him like this when he was about to give him bad news. “You know those men who attacked the ship last night?” Marinette nodded, already not liking where this was headed. “Those men disappeared last night from their holing cells. The authorities woke up this morning and found the cell only held two kids and all other evidence disappeared. It’s like they vanished into thin air and one of the kids was hurt.” Marinette held onto every word and felt her breath hitch, “Marinette, they may come back. I’m working with Batman to strengthen the security of the ship.”

There was a moment of silence before Marinette responded, “So that’s why you wanted me off the ship tomorrow.” Bruce looked at her confused while her expression became more serious, “You wanted me off the ship in case they came back while the ship was finishing its final repairs.”

Bruce nodded, “You saw how that man who threw you overboard had an interest in you. If he saw you again, he might try something.”

“That won’t happen.” The table turned to Damian, “We won’t let that happen. Father, if you haven’t realized she’s going to be safest when around us.”

Bruce nodded in agreement, “Which is why you four will be accompanying the class on their outing tomorrow.” He stood up and straightened out his shirt before turning to the rest of the classmates, “You will be given spending money to use and keep should you choose. I want you all to have fun while on this trip as promised, but it may be safer if you weren’t on the boat.”

Chloe brushed her bangs out of her face and pouted. “I don’t like running”, she sighed, “but without my Miraculous he’s right.”

Adrien bit his lip, “We’ll stay with Marinette tonight too. From what I hear, the room is big enough.” He let out a bittersweet laugh, “Great first sleepover.”

Alya pitied the boy but nodded, “It’s settled. We stay in Marinette’s room tonight and tomorrow we stay together as a group to explore the cities until Bruce gives us the okay.” 

Nino nodded, “I’m in.”

“Of course.”

“Ditto.”

“Marinette?” Alya realized her best friend’s gaze never looked away from Damian, “Marinette?”

Marinette glared at Damian, “Did you know?”

Damian looked over at the girl and realized her accusations were similar to those she had on the first night they met. “No. No, I didn’t.” Marinette held up her pinky, “What?”

“Swear to me.” He looked at her for a moment, caught off guard by the sudden request, but eventually wrapped his pinky around hers. Marinette relaxed a bit and she nodded, “Okay.” She looked over at Alya, “If he wants he’s allowed to the sleepover.”

Damian blinked, “Wait, what?”

Alya nodded, “Okay. Damian, you can meet up with the guys at their rooms and walk over together.” Alya put out her fist, “We’re going to make the most of this trip and keep each other safe. We are not letting Marinette’s efforts go to waste!” Nino sighed and stood up, placing his fist next to Alya’s. Adrien stood up next and placed his fist next to Nino’s. Chloe did the same. Marinette followed suit and the five classmates stared at the Waynes expectantly. “You guys in or not?” Jason stood up first out of the family and put his fist in. Next was Tim, then Dick, then Bruce. Damian was hesitant, but after meeting Marinette’s pleading expression he reluctantly stood and did the same. Alya smiled, “Okay.”


	8. Backstay

“Why do you think it’s the Waynes?” Marinette brought her classmates back to her room to set up the living room game room combo in her suite. The group was moving things out of the way of the flat-screen TV to prepare for movies and games for the night ahead of them.

“You can’t tell me you aren’t suspicious of them.” Damian looked around his room for pajamas that would be approved by his brothers. He shook his head and mumbled, “Why am I even going?”

Dick looked up from Damian’s dresser and threw him a green and black pair of pajama pants, shrugging, “Not really, Damian.”

“Why not?!” Alya sounded exasperated as she pushed a loveseat out of the way. “Oh my god, why are there so many things in here?” Chloe snickered at the girl, earning her a playful glare. 

“Maybe because we don’t have any proof.” Tim looked a very annoyed Damian and shook his head, “Too plain.” Damian growled and went back to the bathroom to change.

Alya whined, “There are too many things pointing to that conclusion, though!” Nino rolled his eyes and helped her move a coffee table. “Thanks.” 

“Circumstances. That’s all it is.” Dick handed Damian a plain blue t-shirt, “Why are you so hard to dress?”

Damian glared at Dick, “I am not wearing Nightwing Blue to this stupid sleepover, Grayson.” He threw the t-shirt back and huffed, “That doesn’t mean she isn’t Ladybug. And it doesn’t mean the rest of her friends aren’t a part of it too.”

“Okay, sure. Tim wasn’t around, that makes him a suspect. A lot of people weren’t in that room, does that make them suspects too?” Marinette placed her hands on her hips and looked around the room, “Why are we working so hard on this again?”

“Doesn’t mean we can’t start our investigation with her.” Tim scrolled through Marinette’s Instagram, “Remember to bring up her fashion designs. Get big brownie points.” Damian yanked the phone out of Tim’s hands, “Hey!”

“Listen to yourself, this is a theory!” Chloe wiped her forehead with her and frowned, “If I sweat any more, I’m going to consider this labor and require payment.”

Alya rolled her eyes and brought over some blankets to cover the floor and create some forts, “I have to start somewhere.”

Damian groaned, “No, no you don’t. You don’t have to do anything. At least not tonight. After tonight, give me updates from your investigation.” He put on a dark red shirt and put back on the green sweats, “Now, I’m just giving myself away aren’t I?”

Dick looked him over and smiled, “You look good in those colors though. Stay like that.” Dick walked over and messed around with Damian’s hair, much to his dismay. “Come on, I have to do it.”

“No, you don’t.” Nino walked over and wrapped his arms around his girlfriend, “You just want to.” He sighed, “Why do you care so much anyways? Like, you’ve been talking about this since Batman showed up on the cameras.”

“I care because we’re the underlings of the world’s greatest detective and I want answers.” Damian looked through his drawers and pulled out a red hoodie.

“Oh yeah, ruin thirty minutes of good work with a hoodie.” Dick sighed and shook his head, “You don’t have to be involved in every case, you know?”

“I can’t just leave it though!” Alya felt her patience being tested and walked over to Marinette, “You support me, right?”

Marinette rolled her eyes and smiled, “Of course I do, but I’m not comfortable with you accusing my friends of hiding big secrets like that.”

“They need to hide it though.” Jason sat on Damian’s bed and frowned, “They’re kids. From what I can tell they don’t have a mentor or leader besides her. We have a seasoned Batman, they have no one.”

Damian pinched the bridge of his nose, “That’s a lot of responsibility to just throw on them.”

Adrien scoffed, “You say that as if Bruce Wayne doesn’t have the resources to help be Batman.” After seeing what Damian and Jason in action during the attack, he’s been more than a bit suspicious. Adrien shrugged and walked next to Alya, “I don’t know if you’re right, but I do know something’s up with them. I’m in.”

“Yeah you are!” The two fist bump and Alya held Adrien’s arm up, “Behold peasants! My champion!”

Nino rolled his eyes and kissed Alya’s cheek, “Yeah, sure. Your champion is a kid who was homeschooled all his life with just enough social skill to keep his head above water in public school.” Adrien snorted at the jab and went back to work. Nino thought for a moment, “That must be some standard to hold yourself to, though. I mean, I know the dude has money, but Gotham isn’t exactly the best city. To promise to protect a city like Gotham practically on your own like that must be hard.”

“She’s not alone though, Ladybug has Cat Noir though.” Jason sat back down on the bed and looked at the clock on the bedside desk, “Still, it means she was thirteen when she took up her secret identity. Two kids, no mentor, no prior experience, that’s insane. You can’t expect two kids to be held to that kind of standard.”

“It helps if he set the standard.” Marinette thought back to when she and Adrien first got the Miraculous. They didn’t set their standard, they just worked hard to meet it. “Remember, Bruce had it hard. Harder than most of us.” The room fell silent as they dedicated the moment to Bruce’s parents. Marinette wiped her watering eyes and shook her head, “I need some air. Everything looks fine, you guys should get ready too.”

“You want one of us to come with you?”

Damian looked back at Dick from the room’s entrance and shook his head, “No, I just want to think about this. I do believe she’s Ladybug. If we’re right, then we should be ashamed of ourselves for not involving ourselves sooner. We’ve had training. We’ve had guidance. They got a ring and some earrings. That’s it.” He sighed, “It just upsets me to think she went through all of this, learning as she went. She isn’t like Bruce. Bruce chose that life for himself, he had resources, and he had Alfred. What does she have? A family that probably doesn’t know because what normal family would let their thirteen-year-old daughter fight a magical terrorist. A partner who was just as much an amateur as she was and by the looks of it they don’t know each other’s identities so they can’t support each other out of the mask. And lastly, her wits. Her mind is her greatest asset. The entirety of Paris is dependent on the mind of a teenager.” Damian gripped the door frame, getting more upset as he thought about the situation she’s in, “While I have faith in her ability, Paris is still damned and she’s going to break from the pressure.”

Marinette sighed as she smiled at her friends in a weak attempt to reassure them, “I just don’t like thinking that he went through all that and still became a superhero. It’s too much.” She thought about her own situation and wondered if she was in any position to feel the way she does when there are voluntary superheroes in worse cities than Paris. She knows she shouldn’t compare herself, but she can’t help it when Alya tells her more and more about Gotham’s great bat. She left the group and wandered around the boat, heading back upstairs to the captain’s den. Marinette hoped to see him, or at the very least explore some more and let herself just think. Marinette bumped into someone as she reached the stairway up to the captain’s den, “Oh I’m sorry-”

“Excuse me- Marinette?” She looked up and met a familiar face, “What are you doing here?”

Marinette shrugged, “I wanted to go back to the den and maybe talk to Captain Staller.”

Damian nodded and the two continued moving, “I like that room too. It’s the one place I can gather my thoughts on this ship.”

“What are you thinking about?”

“Mainly? You.” Marinette stared at him wide-eyed and he realized he needed to backtrack, “Referring to dinner.”

Marinette’s face couldn’t get redder, “Oh! Oh, that! Right!” She patted her cheeks in a sad attempt to make the redness go down, “Still think I’m a hero, huh?”

“I’m betting Alya still thinks I’m the son of Batman too?” Marinette sighed, giving him all the confirmation he needed. “Either way, she won’t find anything on Father. Trust me, even Lois Lane barked up that tree.”

“Lois Lane?”

“A famous reporter in America.” Marinette nodded and he hummed, “Doesn’t mean she’s not going to try though.”

“Yeah, she’s determined.”

“So are my brothers.” Damian stopped in front of the door and knocked three times, “Let’s see if we can find the captain.”

Marinette and Damian waited a few moments before the captain opened the door. Seeing Marinette made him smile, “I was wondering when you’d come back.”

She grinned, “Sorry for the wait.” She hugged the man and walked inside, Damian trailing behind her. She walked around the room, “Did you get more?”

The captain walked over to the bar with Damian and Damian poured him a drink. Damian learned what the man’s favorite drink was and would make it for the captain whenever both were in the den as a show of gratitude for allowing him access. The captain took a sip and nodded, “You’re getting better at this.” Damian shrugged and the captain turned back to Marinette, “Get more what?”

“Ships.” She carefully picked one up and rubbed some dust off of it, “Or maybe I just didn’t notice these before.”

Captain Staller put down his drink and walked over Marinette, “That one is my favorite. The oldest in my collection and it was given to me by my niece when she was younger.”

Marinette tensed, “Should I put this back?”

“No! No.” He leaned over her shoulder and pointed at the ship’s side, “S.S. A. Staller. Anne was always cheeky like that.” Marinette smiled at the small detail, completely unaware of the boy watching her from the bar. “She gave this to me when she was thirteen. She told me she spent weeks on it and refused to let anyone forget that.”

“She sounded fun.”

“She was.” He took the bottle from her hand, putting it back in its place on the shelf and grabbing another one. “This is the last one she made me.”

Marinette took the bottle from Captain Staller and took in many details, “This material is different. Better quality.”

“Good eye. What else?”

Marinette turned the bottle carefully, “These sails don’t look like the others. This looks custom.”

“Good. Good. Anything else?” Marinette hummed as she trained her eyes on the smaller details before the captain interrupted her, “Look at the bigger picture, girl.”

She blinked, realizing she was practically holding the bottle to her eye trying to find the little secrets possibly hidden in the model. She looked up at Staller and then noticed Damian snickering. She stuck her tongue out at him and looked back at the bottle, “Oh, it has a different name. S.S. A. Dereon.”

He nodded, “She got married and sent me this as a gift before her honeymoon.” He pointed at the sails, “The sails are made from pieces of her wedding dress.”

Marinette’s eyes lit up and she turned her attention back to the sails, “That’s so sweet.”

The captain nodded before taking the ship and carefully putting it back. He led her back to the bar where Damian already had a sparkling water waiting for her as she sat down, “She was. She was the bottle to my ship.”

Marinette couldn’t help but be confused, “How so?”

The man sighed and took a swig of his drink, “When you throw one of those ships into the sea, what do you think happens?” Marinette shook her head and he smiled wistfully, “The bottle protects the boat from the sea. The bottle will keep the boat intact, providing a safe place for the boat from the chaos from the outside world.”

Marinette watched him carefully and before she could stop and think about her words she asked, “What if the bottle breaks?” The captain set down his glass and the noise sounded loud despite him not using much force, making the two teens tense and bringing Damian’s attention back to the conversation from behind the bar.

Captain Staller thought for a moment, “The bottle may break, that’s right. Without the bottle, the ship is left to its own devices against the raging waters of the sea.” He thought a little more before nodding, “Yes. The ship is left to survive. Sometimes when the bottle breaks, the boat finds itself in a terrible current or storm. Sometimes, those ships are lucky enough to find themselves in calmer waters with gentle waves. Most don’t though.” He took one more drink from the glass before handing it to Damian empty. Damian took the glass from the man’s hands and listened, “All boats are made differently. Some have better quality material while others are made cheap. Some are bigger. Some are made to be better. The boats all have different qualities, but not all will float. Sometimes the better ships on calm waters find themselves with a breach and slowly sink. Sometimes you’ll see a tiny little ship in the middle of a storm fighting to stay afloat. A lot of times, those boats are underwater when the bottle breaks, forcing them to struggle right off the bat.”

Captain Staller sighed, “Not all boats make it. Many are victims of the chaotic world without their bottles, but there are also many who continue to sail on. Despite the breaches, despite the flooding, despite possibly being submerged at some point those ships who have had the most damage to them and still stay above water are to be celebrated for their resiliency. The sea fights to claim as many ships as possible, and someday every ship will have its final journey, but that doesn’t mean those ships should stop trying. Even if their bottle breaks, either by accident or by someone’s hand, ships are made to sail the waters no matter how aggressive the waves are. Will they all make it? No. Will the ones that do be constantly tested by the sea? Absolutely. Will those ships ever stop? Eventually, but eventually is a long way away from today. Today they sail and continue fighting, for the bottle that was broken and to prove to the world that, despite everything, they can still continue.”

The two teens were quiet as they processed the captain’s words. Each wondering if they were in the process of sinking and wondered what it would take to keep from being submerged. Damian was the one to break the silence, “What about you?” The captain turned to him and he repeated the question, “What about you? You said Anne was your bottle. Are you still sailing?”

The captain thought for a moment before looking at Marinette and smiling, “There are ships fortunate enough to find a kind spirit to repair a few parts to help them stay afloat.” He ruffled Marinette’s loose hair and chuckled, “You send out the same energy Anne did. That definitely helps.”

Marinette smiled, “I’m sorry I’m not Anne.”

“You’re you, that’s all that matters.” He looked between the two teens, “You both lost your bottles.” The two teens tensed and looked startled, but he just waved his hand, “It happens. I lost my bottle too, but you two are faring much better than this old ship.”

Marinette patted the captain’s shoulder, “Don’t say that.”

“You are.” He straightened out his back and, as if to prove his point, his back cracked. “You see, this ship creaks it’s so old.” Marinette giggled and Damian bit his inner cheek to keep from smiling, “It’s okay though. I think both of you hold qualities to repair other people’s ships. Finding each other, despite the distance between your homelands, was not by accident. You two will prove to be very helpful to one another.” The two looked at each other, confused and a bit embarrassed, making the captain laugh. He turned to Damian, “You.” Damian pointed at himself as if to confirm even though he was the only one behind the bar, “I allow you in here is for the same reason. Despite your attitude, you radiate the same kind energy as my Anne.” Damian opened his mouth to protest but the captain held up his hand, “I’m not saying you are as openly affectionate. Your ship is made of hard materials usually made for battleships, odd for a child but undeniable. Still, you still seem to use that material to fight for others and fight for those you care for. You have a kind soul underneath.”

“So do my brothers.”

“Yes, but your brothers are loud and you are not.” Damian couldn’t help but bark out a laugh before covering his mouth and turning to Marinette. She was trying not to laugh, but the smile on her face showed that she was struggling.

Marinette took a few more sips from her drink and stared at her glass, “How do you do it?” Damian and Captain Staller turned to the small girl, “How do you stay afloat even when you feel like you’re being submerged?”

He sighed, “It’s all about inner strength combined with external support. If you have a lot of inner strength you may not need to rely on others as much and vice versa. Sometimes you find that one of those is draining and you need to shift to using the other a bit more for a while. It’s a balance. You don’t want to solely rely on those resources but you don’t want to isolate yourself thinking you can do it all by yourself.” He looked the two once over, “You both seem to be relying on your inner strengths too much. Rely on others and each other for a bit. Recharge. Rest. You’ll float.”

Marinette nodded and sighed before drinking the last bit of her drink, “Okay.”

Damian was snapped out of his thoughts and turned to her, “Okay?”

She nodded, “Okay.” She looked up at him, “We’re friends, right?” Damian nodded, “If I lean on you, you can lean on me. We don’t have long on this trip, but if I can I want to spend more time with you.” He looked surprised and the meaning behind her words caught up with her. Her face heated up and she began rambling, “If you want to! I mean, I just noticed that so far the best times I’ve had so far are with you and your brothers and-”

“Okay.”

“Huh?”

If Damian from a few months ago could time travel and see this moment, he’d slap current Damian. Damian always told people friends were a luxury he couldn’t afford and he hated relying on people. Being with the titans helped, but there was still a part of him that refused to admit it and continued to believe he was better off alone. Now? That part was subdued and he wanted her to lean on him if she chose. “Okay.”

Marinette smiled and nodded, looking much more relieved, “Okay.”

The captain looked between the two in their own little world and chuckled, “I’m glad my ship brought you two together.” The two turned back to the captain and he shook his head, “No, no.” He got up, “Don’t mind me. I need to do some more work. I meant to take a little break and now it’s an hour later.” He stretched his back, causing another crack to resonate in the room, and walked to the exit. “I hope you come back and visit me soon.”

Marinette got up and ran over to hug him, “Of course.”

Captain Staller smiled at her and turned to Damian, “Both of you.” Damian nodded, “Goodnight children.” He left the room and a comfortable silence engulfed the room as Marinette walked back over to her stool while Damian stood behind the bar.

She looked him over and giggled, “Those are your pajamas?”

Damian nodded, “I’m assuming those are yours?”

She stood up and spun around, “Made them myself.”

“They’re very well made, I would’ve thought you bought them.”

“Thank you!” She sat back down and trailed her finger around the rim of the glass cup in front of her, “What are you thinking?”

Damian thought for a moment before answering, “A lot of things now. About my own situation. About yours. A lot I guess.”

“Ah yes, being the sole son of the great Bruce Wayne must be hard.” She thought back to what Tim told her that first night, “You can’t trust many people, can you? There must be a lot of people just trying to use you for your name.”

Damian could’ve laughed. Being Damian Wayne was the easier half of him. It was being Robin that was threatening to sink him. Still, he nodded in response, “Being a superhero must be hard.” She glared at him and he smirked, “I’m joking.” He looked down at his own untouched drink, “Seriously though, Lila must be making things hard for you. Dealing with bullies, social isolation, and trying to stay a good student? Must be hard for you.” Damian didn’t really know what it was like to have those normal issues, but for a normal girl it must be tiring to deal with every day. In the back of his mind came a thought reminding him that she wasn’t normal though.

She nodded and sighed, “Yeah.”

Damian gulped down his own drink and pointed at the clock, “I think they’ll come looking for us again if we don’t head out soon.”

She got up and walked over to the door, “Let’s go.” Damian ran over and side by side the two walked back to Marinette’s room. The two stayed close and, unlike earlier when they were walking to the dining hall, this walk was quiet and comfortably so. The two could feel their arms and hands brush against each other, but neither reacted externally. They just enjoyed the company and were afraid of ruining the walk by doing something. As they turned the corner towards Marinette’s room, Alya ran up and almost crashed into them.

“Oh my god, I almost came looking for you.” She noticed Damian and smiled, “Oh! I mean, we can leave-”

Marinette hissed with a red face, “Alya!”

Alya giggled and motioned for the room, “Come on already. We got room service and now have sweets and movies and games galore.” She looked over Damian, “Have you ever been to a sleepover before?”

Damian frowned, “No.”

Alya’s eyes went wide, “Oh jeez, what is it with you rich kids and not having childhoods?” She grabbed their arms and pulled them to the room, “We have to show Adrien and Damian the sleepover of the ages!”

Seeing the look of apprehension on Damian’s face made Marinette laugh, “She’s just exaggerating. You’ll be fine! Just relax.”

He frowned and sounded tense, “I don’t relax.” Alya opened the doors and led the two the lively den that now had blanket forts and movies playing on the TV.

“I swear Nino if you keep hogging the popcorn I will hurt you.”

“Come on Chloe, we can just order more.”

“Then pick up the phone and order some.”

“Never.”

The three looked back and Adrien waved, “Hey! Join us!”

Nino sat up, “First order some more popcorn!”

Marinette rolled her eyes, “I’m just going to ask them to bring us each our own bowls. I’ll be back.”

As soon as Marinette walked away Damian felt out of his element. Adrien noticed this a motioned for him to sit down next to him, “First sleepover too?”

Damian crawled into the makeshift fort and sat next to the blond boy, “Yes, although I doubt we’re missing too much.”

“What? Oh no, no, no, no, no! You did not just say that.” Chloe crawled over and placed her hands on Damian’s shoulders and forced him to look at her, “You are about to experience the joys of trying to stay awake for as long as possible with tolerable people. Everything that happens in the room stays in the room and as the night goes on we will have confessionals.”

Damian took her hands off his shoulders, “Confessionals?”

Nino nodded, “Truth or dare.”

Damian groaned, “I refuse to take part of a movie trope.”

Adrien shrugged, “It’s a trope for a reason. It’s fun and helps you learn about those around you.” He sent Damian a reassuring smile, “Nothing bad. Most you’ll have to do is karaoke with this group.”

Damian scowled, “I don’t sing.”

“You will when we dare you to.” Chloe sat back down in her original spot, grabbing the popcorn out of Nino’s grasp on the way back. “You are with us now. I don’t know what your parents allowed or didn’t allow, but considering you and Adrien both don’t know what it’s like to have a sleep over it’s our personal duty to make sure this happens.” She smirked, “So where were you and Marinette anyway?” The three in the room all turned to Damian, expecting an answer, but Alya and Marinette walked back into the room.

“Okay Marinette ordered and I changed so we are good to go!” Alya looked around the room, “What’d we miss?”

Adrien shrugged, “Nothing outside the usual.”

Alya’s face deadpanned, “Did she vow to Damian-”

“-to make sure he experiences a great first sleepover, yes.” Adrien laughed, “It’s sweet though.” He looked over at Chloe who had her eyes glued to the screen and scarfing down the popcorn, “If it’s not a good first sleepover, I’m telling my father.”

Chloe snorted, “Yeah right, like your dad is going to get any leeway with my mother. Daddy maybe, but my mother is a whole different story.”

Adrien nodded, “True.”

Marinette and Alya crawled into the blanket fort with their friends, Alya sat next to Nino and Marinette sat between Chloe and Damian. “What are we watching anyway?”

Chloe threw some popcorn at Marinette, “Horror movie, hush.”

Marinette rolled her eyes and picked up some of the popcorn to munch on. “Oh my god this is good popcorn.”

Chloe threw a bit more, hitting both Marinette and Damian, “Yes it is and I’m not sharing. Now hush.” Marinette rolled her eyes and looked back at Damian, picking out a piece of popcorn sitting on top of his hoodie and throwing it in her mouth. She giggled at his confused reaction and continued to eat the popcorn Chloe threw them.

Within the walls of the dark den, the six kids were entranced by the screen. Most kids were in between being unable to watch and being unable to look away. The only exceptions were Alya and Damian who were making bets on who would survive.

“Final girl always wins.”

“Yes, but there are two final girl contestants here! Plus, there’s a kid!”

“Alya, Damian, I swear-”

The door behind them burst open with a kick and the six screamed and scrambled as far away as possible. The five classmates all fell into their own defensive stances while Damian grabbed the nearest thing not bolted to the ground, in his case a vase, and threw it at the figure in the doorway. The figure dodged it and turned on the light, “What the hell was that for?”

The six sighed in relief, “Oh my god, Jason you scared us.”

Jason shrugged, “Serves you right for watching horror movies late at night.” He looked at the screen, “I approve though.” He pulled in a cart of snacks, mainly popcorn, “But I’m here to make a delivery and check in on Bruce’s request.”

Damian growled, “We’re fine. Now please tell me the other two aren’t here.”

Dick ran into the room and threw a pillow from Marinette’s bed at his brother, who easily caught it, “Rude!” He crossed his arms, “Here we are, wondering how our near and dear baby brother is doing at his first sleepover and this is how you repay us?”

Tim walked in after Dick and shook his head at the broken vase, “I told you to knock.”

“More fun my way.”

Chloe frowned and walked over to the cart, taking the biggest bowl of popcorn and returning to her seat. “Turn the lights off already.”

Marinette rolled her eyes and walked over to the three brothers, “You guys joining us then?”

“No!” Damian walked over, “You were not invited and if you guys stay here I will leave.”

Dick smirked, “This coming from the kid who didn’t even want to come.”

Damian frowned, “Well I’m here now and not hating it so go!”

Jason walked over and sat next to Adrien, “Shut up I like this movie.” Adrien offered some of his popcorn and Jason happily took a bit.

Tim and Dick pushed their way through and before Damian could yell, Dick held up his hand, “We want to watch the movie. We’ll leave later, okay?” Damian was not satisfied with these terms, knowing them they’d stay the night and he would rather not have his first normal interaction with a group of kids his age be ruined by them. Still, Marinette motioned for them to sit wherever, grabbing some snacks and nudging Damian to follow her back to their seats. Damian realized there was only so much he could do against the group and reluctantly went back to his seat next to Marinette. She handed him his own bowl of popcorn and he graciously took it, continuing to enjoy the flick.

There were some screams, mainly by Tim, but overall the group decided to continue their horror movie night. As the night went on and the movies got worse, the group began talking over the flicks and move into what Chloe referred to as ‘confessionals’. 

Marinette sat up and held up her hands, “Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait! Dick has a long-term girlfriend and you didn’t bring her?”

Chloe scoffed, “Divorce.”

“We aren’t even married.”

Alya snickered, “She’s right. Divorce!”

Dick pouted and crossed his arms, “It’s not my decision to make. Bruce wanted this to be a family trip, no one else.”

Adrien stuffed some more popcorn in his mouth, “Why?”

Dick briefly looked over at Damian before shrugging, “Family vacation I guess.”

Jason ate some of the candy from the cart and shrugged, “Kory still should’ve come.”

Marinette perked up, “Oh, so her name is Kory?” She smiled, “Nickname?” Dick nodded and she whined, “Alya why can’t I find that?”

Alya pushed her friend over onto the pillows surrounding them, “Girl, you know how many guys threw themselves at you?”

She rolled onto her back and blew some hair out of her face, “They did not.”

Alya was not amused, “Nathaniel?”

“Akumatized and now with Marc.”

Adrien jumped in, “Luka?”

“He’s with Kagami and happier than ever.”

Nino raised his hand, “Me?”

“You and Alya are perfect for each other.”

Chloe scoffed, “Kim?”

“Kim did not like me!”

Alya rolled her eyes, “Face it. You happen to be a really good matchmaker, just not for yourself. You’ve had your chances, but you keep pushing them to who you think is ‘better’.”

Marinette sat up, “Because they were better. They’re happy aren’t they?”

“But are you?” Marinette turned her head to Tim who shrugged, “You want a relationship but you push it away when possible. Sounds to me like you don’t think you’d be a good partner. Not that there’s someone better.”

Marinette huffed and hugged a nearby pillow, “They are better.”

Dick sighed, “Alright, alright. Let it go.” Tim was about to open his mouth but was stopped by a pillow hitting his face, “I said let it go.”

Tim threw a pillow straight back at him, only for Dick to catch it midair, “Show off.”

Chloe turned to the boys and hummed, “You guys seem very coordinated. Damian caught a pillow too earlier.”

Damian shrugged, “Years of practice living with each other I guess.” 

Alya nodded, “I can vogue for that. After babysitting my sisters I have wicked reflexes for anything aimed at my face.”

Dick laughed, “Sucks being the oldest, doesn’t it?”

Alya shook her head, “I’m not the oldest actually. My big sister is a wrestler.”

“Sweet.” Jason high-fived Alya and nudged Dick, “No one can relate to being the oldest but you.”

“I can.” Nino raised his hand and shrugged, “I’m the oldest in my family. I have a younger brother.”

Tim looked around, “Are the rest of you only childs then?” The remaining three nodded and Tim wore an expression of wonder and joy, “Oh my god, how is that like?”

“Lonely.”

“Boring.”

“I get whatever I want.”

Marinette sighed, “I kind of wish I had an older brother or sister though.”

Damian shook his head, “No. No you don’t.” The three older brothers all stuck their tongue at him and he rolled his eyes, “For a while I grew up an only child.”

“Really? How?”

“I lived with my mother until I was ten and then she passed me over to Father.”

Dick snorted, “Remember what Bruce said about the first thing you told him?”

Tim smiled, “I’ll be Damian!” He cleared his throat and sat up, crossing his arms and looking slightly annoyed. “Don’t be so surprised Father. I thought you’d be taller.”

The group laughed at Damian’s expense as he frowned and glared at Tim. Jason shook his head, “I can’t believe you’re forgetting the best part though.” He cleared his throat and looked at Dick who nodded and did the same, knowing exactly what he’s talking about. “I’ll drive.”

“No.”

“I know how.”

“No.”

Marinette bit her lip to keep from laughing, “How? How would a ten year old know how to drive?”

Damian grabbed the pillow out of Marinette’s arms and threw it at his laughing brothers, “You know, I don’t appreciate you telling these people I just met my life story.”

Dick sighed, “We’re not saying everything. Just some of the funnier parts. That’s part of a sleepover, kid. Story-telling.”

Chloe giggled, “We can tell you some great Marinette ones if you’d like.”

An almost unanimous “Yes!” with one weak “No!” resonated in the room. Alya smirked, “Sorry girl, but as per tradition and because you are the hostess it is only fair we do this.”

“That doesn’t make any sense!”

“Doesn’t have to. I’m getting tired and the people have the right to know.” Alya expertly dodged the candy thrown at her head and turned to the boys, “Okay, let me just start off by saying our dear Marinette hear is a walking accident waiting to happen.” Marinette groaned and fell back, covering her ears. “So not only will she be consistently late to class, she has an 80% chance of falling on the way into the actual classroom. If this was a few months ago, 95% if Adrien looked at her.”

“Alya, remember I know where you live.”

Dick snickered, “You had a pretty big crush on Adrien. What changed?”

Marinette propped herself up on her arms and looked over at Adrien, “I guess I just got over it? After Lila came along, it was hard to keep in touch with a lot of you. I guess growing apart just helped me let go of it.”

Adrien shrugged, “I’m happy with where we are now though.”

Marinette smirked, “Yeah, dodged a bullet dating a nerd like you.” Adrien threw some popcorn in her direction and she laughed, “No, but seriously. I just grew out of it I guess.”

Damian frowned, “Is he the reason why you let go of so many other guys?”

Marinette was surprised at the question but nodded, “Yeah. I didn’t feel right trying to go for someone else when I liked Adrien as much as I did. I guess I’m an all or nothing kind of person.”

Tim nodded, “See? Now that is a better reason than thinking someone else is better.” Tim sighed, “Sucks though, you missed a lot of opportunities.”

Marinette shrugged, “I’m hopeful that the right person will come around.”

Alya caught Damian’s eye and she wiggled her eyebrows at him, causing him to roll his eyes. Alya let out an exaggerated sigh, “Ah, yes. Who will ever take our sweet Marinette? She’s chased off all her suitors.”

“You’ve been watching too many westerns at Nino’s again.”

“Not my fault his brother went through a cowboy phase.”

Nino tipped his cap and winked, “Not my usual style, but playing sheriff was fun.”

Dick smiled, “Damian, remember when it was just you and me for a bit?”

Damian rubbed his temples, “Sadly.”

Chloe smirked, “Oh come on it couldn’t have been that bad.”

“You don’t know how annoying Grayson can be when he wants to be.”

“Same goes to you, Damian. As I recall, you had quite the superiority complex when we first met.”

Adrien turned to Damian, “Really? You seem pretty calm.”

Jason barked out a laugh, “That’s because the only emotion that kid knows how to express is anger. Trust me, piss him off and he’ll lose his cool like that!”

Jason snapped and Damian crossed his arms, “Keep talking and everyone’s going to see how bad I can get.”

Tim put his hands up, “No need! We’re completely cool with you not having a meltdown.”

“I do not ‘meltdown’!”

“You’re right, he throws tantrums.”

Marinette, clearly seeing how annoyed Damian was getting, stepped in, “I think it’s safe to say we all have our faults.”

Damian glared at his brothers, “Some more than others.”

Adrien laughed, “You know, even watching you guys argue makes me wish I had siblings. Would make my house actually feel more alive.”

Chloe shook her head, “Oh no. No way, I’m okay with being an only child and having friends. I could not deal with some kid trying to get my attention all the time.”

“So you finally learned to empathize with your dad, Chloe?” Chloe sent a glare at Alya who just laughed, “Joking! Joking! You know your dad loves you.” Chloe nodded, satisfied with the statement and Alya smiled. “You know, it’s weird. I never would’ve thought this would happen.”

Adrien sighed, “Me either, but I’m glad it is. I’m having fun.”

Marinette nodded, “It’s nice. A huge improvement from last night too.” The group all murmured agreements to her statement, all wishing they could forget the bad parts of that night. Marinette yawned, “What time is it?”

Dick looked at his phone and frowned, “You don’t want to know.”

“That late?”

“Yeah.”

Chloe got up and stretched, “Alright then, girls will take the bed and boys can sleep on the floor with the extra blankets.

Adrien nodded and sat up too, “Okay, Nino, Damian and I can clean up around here and head into the main bedroom when we’re done.” Chloe nodded and motioned for the other two girls to follow.

Marinette stopped and looked at the three older brothers, “Are you guys going to sleep here too? I don’t know if we have enough blankets for you guys.”

Dick shook his head, “No. If Damian’s glare is telling me anything, it’s that we’ve overstayed our welcome.” Marinette turned to Damian and, sure enough, he was staring his brothers down.

She shook her head and laughed, “Never a dull moment with you guys, huh?”

Jason got up and nudged her, “Nope.”

“Still think I’m Ladybug?”

“Yup.”

Marinette rolled her eyes and motioned for the three to follow her, “Come on, I’ll walk you guys out.” The night went on as expected, the three eldest Waynes left, the girls all sleep together on Marinette’s bed, and the three boys were sleeping on the floor with all the extra blankets. 

Still, Marinette found herself waking up periodically, tossing and turning. She was getting more and more frustrated until she decided she needed a walk. She carefully crawled over the sleeping girls and off the bed, tiptoeing her way out of the room and shutting the door behind her. She walked to the nearest railing, not touching it but looking out at the sea surrounding them. She could see the coastline and the small city, briefly trying to picture what it would look like once they docked.

“So do you make a habit of this?” She turned her head to the boy walking up to her, “We’re there to keep an eye on you and make sure you aren’t by yourself and then you wander off in the middle of the night? I know you’re smarter than that.”

Marinette shook her head and turned back to the water, “I couldn’t sleep.” She heard him walk up beside her and the two stood there in silence looking over the sea. Eventually she quietly asked, “Do you really think I could be Ladybug?”

Damian nodded, keeping his eyes trained over the rails, “I think you’re as good of a candidate as any.”

“You haven’t even been to Paris. There are a lot of other people.”

“Maybe, but those people aren’t you.” Marinette turned to face Damian, watching him ponder over his next words, “I’m sorry you’ve been going through this.”

“I’m not-”

He turned to her, finally meeting her gaze and any words she wanted to say died in her mouth, “You say you hate liars, but you probably have the biggest lie to hide out of anyone.”

Marinette looked away, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I can tell something’s up.”

“You don’t get it.” She sighed, “Hawkmoth gets into people’s heads. If he akumatizes someone who thinks they know Ladybug’s identity, what do you think will happen?” Her expression became more serious as she looked back up at him, “Get it out of your head. I’m not Ladybug.”

Damian frowned, “Was it hard?”

“Was what hard?”

“Being on your own like that? Do you have anyone to talk to? Does he know?”

She paused for a moment and shook her head, sighing, “I can’t have this conversation.”

Damian asked again, his stern tone demanding a response, “Does Cat Noir know?”

“Know what?” Marinette glared at him and her voice was cold, “I don’t know Cat Noir. Cat Noir wouldn’t know me because we don’t interact. I am not Ladybug!”

Damian didn’t flinch, “You don’t have to lie to me. I won’t tell my brothers if you don’t want me to. Still, I should tell you that Tim is a great detective and Jason is stubborn. They’ll find out and tell everyone they were right unless you tell them yourself and ask them to stay quiet.” Marinette didn’t respond and he felt pity, “It’s okay-”

“What about this is okay?!” Marinette clenched her fists at her sides and could feel herself losing her temper, “What about any of it is okay, Damian?! The heroes of Paris were young and inexperienced when they started! They didn’t get any help and when they did it was just more kids! Ladybug and Cat Noir have to show up anytime someone has a negative emotion! How does anyone expect someone to live like that?!” Marinette took in a shaky breath and felt her body vibrate, “I mean, they’re kids! I know there isn’t any concrete proof, but it’s obvious! Especially after Chloe became Queen Bee, it made it more obvious that they were all kids! They all look young!” She shook her head and held herself, “How is that fair? I know people in America choose to be heroes. They choose to use their powers for good and while I don’t have any doubts that their hearts are in the right place, how do you expect to put that kind of responsibility on a kid? They can’t tell anyone! They can’t talk to anyone!” The shaking grew more violent and her next words came out weak but forced, “That has to be so much for a couple of kids. And Ladybug? If she fails, everything is done for. All damage becomes permanent. Paris will fall.”

Damian didn’t really know how to answer her. He knew only about another hero in her position, Shazam, but he at least had people to depend on. People who knew. Sometimes his friends shared his power and helped. Ladybug didn’t have that luxury. He just watched her retreat further into herself and they stood in silence until she leaned onto him. Before he could say anything, she weakly pleaded, “Let me lean on you, okay?”

Damian relaxed and let her lean on him, “Okay.” Damian now knew for a fact that she was Ladybug. He wondered if he had any right to complain about his situation now. She was by herself and holding it all in. She was right, too. If she failed, Paris would fall. Cat Noir could fight, but without the Miraculous Cure the damage would be too much. He briefly wondered how the cities back in the US were still standing after all the damage they’ve sustained. Still, he had his brothers and the Titans, Batman had the Justice League, but she didn’t have other team members who could share the burden of being Ladybug. While the League could send other heroes to other cities when needed, Paris specifically needed their Ladybug and her magic. She might have Cat Noir, but Cat Noir doesn’t have her powers. He can’t purify and he can’t heal.

He looked down at the girl and frowned, “Do you need anything from me?”

She shook her head and let out a bittersweet laugh, “I’m the worst.” She sniffed, “I should be better than this. I should have a better handle on this. I shouldn’t be like this.” She wiped her eyes, “I don’t want to cry anymore.”

Damian sighed, “It’s not good to keep it in though. That’s how you burn out.”

“How does Bruce do it?”

“Do what?”

“Fight crime.” Damian thought for a moment and bit his tongue, wanting to just talk but not willing to out his father’s identity. She sniffed and wiped her eyes, “Sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.” She pulled away and looked up at him, “What are you going to do now?”

Damian had all the confirmation he needed, she didn’t need to say it he knew by her frustrations. Still, he couldn’t bring it in him to just go and tell his brothers without her permission. She didn’t do anything wrong by him or his family, she was here needing just as much as a getaway as he did. “Nothing if you don’t want me to.”

She sighed and leaned her forehead on his shoulder, “God, why am I so tired?”

“Probably because you haven’t slept that well in the three days we’ve been here.”

She smiled, “It’s only been three days? It feels like weeks.”

Damian nodded, “Yeah.” Damian nudged her and she looked back up at him, “Let’s go back to sleep.”

She frowned and groaned, “Great. Dick’s seen me have an emotional breakdown and now you’ve seen me have a nervous breakdown.” She hit her head against his arm, “I’m a mess.”

“Wait, what happened with Dick?”

She shook her head, “Don’t worry about it. Just know I ruined one of his t-shirts with my tears and now I have to make him a new shirt. That reminds me, I need to get material and a sewing machine in town tomorrow.” She thought aloud to herself, “And the design, what am I going to design?”

Damian smirked, “He really likes Nightwing back in Gotham. Make him a Nightwing themed shirt and I promise he’ll be speechless.”

She looked up at him and smiled, “You think?”

“I know.” He chuckled, “Just make sure I’m there when you give it to him.”

Marinette frowned, “Why do I get the feeling you’re going to enjoy that a little too much?”

“Because I will.”

Marinette snorted and then switched to a more somber tone, “Must be nice having people in your life like that.”

“Yeah, they’re insufferable, but they’re good people and I can count on them when need be.” Damian sighed and leaned against the railing, “They still give me gray hairs, though.”

Marinette grinned, “Careful, your inner old man is coming out. You want some tapioca?”

“Shut up.” He nudged her again and she giggled, “Well, looks like you’re in a better mood.”

She hummed, “I guess so.”

“Venting helps.”

“Yeah, it did.”

“You want to go back to sleep?”

Marinette yawned and shook her head, “No.”

“Still a bad liar.”

“You know you can vent to me too right?” He looked her over and she shrugged, “I get that you don’t open up as easily as I do, but I can tell you that I’m a good listener. Whenever you decide to talk to me, I’ll be here.”

He sighed and shook his head, “You’ve cried almost every night since boarding and you’re still going to offer yourself up like that? Is that even healthy?”

“I’m offering because I want to.”

He frowned, “You need to take care of yourself first.”

“Hey remember what the captain said, we need to lean on each other. You agreed.” She smiled, “You know something weird?”

“What?”

“This is the most I’ve felt in a while.” He sent her a confused look and she took it as a cue to go into more detail, “Back in Paris, I think I just became numb. I tried not to feel anything out of fear of an akuma.”

“You tried not to do anything either by the looks of it.”

She frowned, “Adrien once told me to take the high road. That outing her as a liar wouldn’t help anyone and it’d only put her in a worse position. So I did because it was okay if he knew too. At least, that’s what I thought.” She thought back, “She’s done nothing but take my friends away. Lila pulled Adrien away from me, too. She tried to lie about me a few times to make me look bad, and Adrien did help with those times, but she just kept doing it again and again. She didn’t learn and she wasn’t satisfied. Even when she had the whole class wrapped around her finger, she still wouldn’t stop because I wouldn’t follow.”

“She wanted full control of the school.”

“Exactly. At this point, I don’t know if anyone would even believe me this has gone on for so long.” She smiled, “Winning this trip was me taking the first step to getting a better handle on things. I just wanted my friends back and so far I think it’s worked. Alya’s hanging out with me. Nino too. Others are talking to me more.” She sighed, “But then there’s Lila. I don’t know what it is but she makes me panic. I don’t panic like I do when she’s around.” She ran her fingers through her hair, “She just makes me feel-“

“Weak.”

She nodded, “Yeah, because I can’t do anything. She allows herself to be akumatized and hates the heroes with a passion. She would be the perfect Akuma and I’m trying to avoid being the cause of that.”

Damian sighed, “Sounds like you’ve been put between a rock and a hard place. Either you out her and cause an Akuma or you leave her alone and you continue getting bullied.” He hummed, “Even if you defeat her she seems the type to hold a grudge. She’d just get akumatized again.”

She nodded, “Yup. So it’s easier to just let things be.”

“Doesn’t make it right.”

She sighed, “No. No it doesn’t.”

Damian sympathized with her, she really couldn’t just out Lila on her lies because having a spiteful, emotional teen girl come back to Paris after Marinette in particular would be less than desirable. “You know it might be good to at least tell Alya and Nino. Adrien seems to know and, despite his terrible advice, has enough sense not to humor the girl unless necessary. Chloe seems to distrust her too, so you have her. Still, Alya is your best friend and Nino is your oldest friend. It’d be good to have them on your side.”

“And when Lila notices that Alya stopped hanging out with her?”

“Alya will just have to tell her that she has other friends. You can’t monopolize someone’s time like that.” Damian yawned and rubbed his eyes, “Oh great now I’m tired.”

Marinette tried to hide her smile, “Uh oh, your human is showing.”

“You’re just saying that because of my brothers.”

She poked his cheek, “Yup.” Her expression softened, “You know you’re easy to talk to when you let your walls down.”

“I’ll have to kill you if you let anyone know.”

Marinette snorted, “Yeah, right.”

Damian rolled his eyes, “Come on. We need to get back before anyone notices we're gone.”

Marinette groaned, “Can’t we just stay like this?” Damian turned to her and his confusion made her laugh, “I mean, it’s nice. It’s cold but nice. Talking to you really helped. Plus, I don’t have to worry about anyone barging in since it’s so late.” She sighed and finally let herself lean on the boat’s railing, “It’s like a temporary bottle.”

“All bottles break.”

“But I don’t want to be the one to break it.” She didn’t want to look down so she kept looking straight ahead, “I haven’t felt this calm in such a long time.”

Damian sighed and took his place next to her, “I can relate to that, at least. I’ll admit, the school and social stuff are out of my expertise.”

“Well, you’ve been doing okay so far.”

Damian smirked, “Me threatening my brothers in front of you guys is okay?”

“You should be around when Chloe is having a bad day. She threatens to use Queen Bee’s venom on us at least once a week.”

Damian nodded, “Sounds like her.”

Marinette smiled and nudged him, “So you have been bonding.”

“I’ll deny it if you tell anyone.”

Marinette hummed and nodded, “Your secret’s safe with me.”

Damian nodded and jokingly replied, “Yours is safe with me too, Ladybug.”

Damian expected her to get annoyed at him, what he didn’t expect is for her to lay her head on his shoulder and for her to softly hum in approval. He tensed up at the sudden contact, but soon yawned and relaxed against her. He wondered if this was normal or if she was just this expressive. Or maybe it was weird for him to let her do this? Was she even in the right mindset? Was he? He sighed and hung his head, “What?”

“I’m thinking.”

“About?”

“This.”

“Oh.” She pulled away and stretched, “I’m sorry.”

Damian shrugged, “I’m not used to this. If I was the person I was a few months ago I would never let this happen. I don’t think I’d be so keen on any of this.”

“What changed?”

He shook his head, “I guess I did.” There was a heavy pause, he knew she wanted to pry but she wasn’t as forward as he was with the questions. Damian looked at her thinking over what to say next, “What?”

“I just realized I don’t know you that well.”

“You just realized that?”

Marinette paused before asking, “Will I ever get to know you?”

Damian was surprised by her question and realized if he were to answer honestly he wouldn’t have one for her, so he said, “I don’t know.”

Marinette sighed and shrugged, “I want to.”

Damian shook his head, “No. You really don’t. I still have a lot of skeletons in my closet and I’m not planning on taking them out anytime soon.”

Marinette hummed, “A little unfair, don’t you think?”

“What is?”

“You know so much about me and it’s only been a few days, but I don’t know you at all.”

He shrugged, “I have a lot to hide.”

“So do I.”

He frowned, realizing what position he put himself in. If she wasn’t cautious around him, he could go off and tell his brothers that she was Ladybug. While he liked control he didn’t need her to feel like she was being blackmailed. He sighed, debating if she was worth telling her anything. He looked her over one more time, she was small, vulnerable, and didn’t have a spiteful bone in her body. He had no doubt she would keep a big secret, but which one could he tell her? He had too many and he didn’t need to put another person through that. 

Damian closed his eyes and took a deep breath, “On my mother’s side I was trained from the day I could walk to be the new head of the family.” He opened his eyes and realized he had her full attention, “Her and my grandfather put me through harsh challenges to make sure I was the best of the best. It was supposed to be us three leading our family against the world.” He frowned, “Then my grandfather died.”

Marinette didn’t want to interrupt him, despite wanting to react. Damian turned to her and his shoulders fell, “That’s around the time my mother sent me to my father. We didn’t get off on the best foot. I didn’t make a good impression on any of them. If I wasn’t my father’s son then I don’t think they would’ve dealt with me. I put my father in an awkward position, I hurt my brothers, and I ran away a lot. Still, Grayson, Father, and the others kept me around.” He scowled, “I wasn’t a good person. My mother and grandfather made me into something they could use but didn’t teach me about people. I didn’t have a normal childhood and it’s probably why I am the way I am now.” He thought for a moment before admitting, “I’m grateful for where I am now, I feel useful. Still, I don’t think I’ll ever be a normal kid. I grew up too fast, put through too much, and now I’m exhausted by it all.”

His chuckle had a bitter undertone to it, “I was put on a team at Grayson’s request. It helped, I’ll admit. Working with other people like me helped, but I’m wearing down. Our leader saw it first and told Father. Father asked me to return and I guess he thought I was so bad that he contacted my brothers and told us we were all going on a trip. Now, we’re here because I can’t hold myself together.”

There was a moment of silence as Marinette processed his story. “That must’ve been so hard.” She thinks about the standards Paris set of her and how similar he must’ve felt when his mother and grandfather set those standards for him. He was even younger than her too. “Do you think being on the ship has helped?”

“I don’t know. Maybe if we ever get a calm day it might.” She laughed and he smirked, “Are we good now?”

She smiled and nodded, “We are. I just wish I could help.”

“Honestly, I’ve only ever told my father that. I think telling someone outside the family helped.”

“Then I’m glad.” She yawned, “Okay, now I think I’m tired enough to go back.”

Damian smirked, “You look like you’re about to drop dead.”

“Thanks, I think the key is not sleeping well for half a week.”

Damian grinned and shook his head, “Come on already. Let’s get you back already. I’m pretty sure we only have like 2 more hours of sleep.”

She groaned, “Please don’t say that!”

“Not my fault you’re an insomniac.”

She pushed him playfully, “Come on. I have to sneak back on the bed and I don’t know if I can do that. Knowing those two, they probably spread out over the empty space.”

“Sucks for you.”

Marinette yawned, “Hey Damian?”

“Yeah?”

“You promise you won’t say anything, right?”

Damian nodded, “Of course.”

She smiled, “Okay. I want to talk to you more. Is that okay?”

Damian snorted at her question, she asked like a child asking for permission to do something questionable, “Yeah, I think I can make that work.”


	9. Red on the Horizon

It was fun while it lasted. The sights were beautiful and the kids dispersed themselves across the city, each group with an assigned guide Bruce provided. Dick, Jason, and Tim volunteered themselves to be with Marinette and her friends as a separate group and Bruce agreed on the condition that they behaved. The beaches, the architecture, the parks were all beautiful. Tim proved to be a good navigator, Dick behaved as the translator, and Jason was just a bad influence encouraging the kids to spend all their money and give the bags to the boys to hold. The Mercado del Este was their resting place for the time being as the kids took a break and ate for lunch. Alya wasted no time with pictures and posted all of them on Instagram for memories while the kids all talked.

Alya was pointing out different things their friends got through their posts, Chloe and Adrien were talking amongst themselves, Jason and Marinette were having a lively discussion about what to do next, and the last four boys were just chatting about the city in general and where to go next. This was what they were missing, normalcy. Normalcy is something they just couldn’t have though.

Chloe stopped laughing abruptly and stared at something, “No way.”

Adrien looked back and his eyes landed on something he never hoped to see outside of Paris. He looked around to see who it was flying towards and his eyes landed on a small injured boy running away from it. Adrien knew this kid wasn’t fast enough and the Akuma was gaining on him, making him jump into action. Chloe ran alongside him, probably realizing the same thing he did looking at the boy. “I’ll grab the kid and you distract the Akuma.” Chloe nodded and the two continued sprinting forward. He could hear footsteps gaining on them, he didn’t need to look back to know it was Marinette and his friends. He just needs to get the kid.

“Hey, don’t look back keep running!”

“We won’t make it, Adrien.”

He could hear Marinette yell behind him, “Dick, Jason, start evacuating the area!”

Adrien kept pushing himself but timed seemed to slow down as the Akuma made contact with the boy’s necklace and he fell forward. Adrien skidded to a stop in front of the child and watched as a dark purple mass engulfed and changed him into something big, almost like a wrestler. The Akuma looked up and glared at Adrien before lifting his arms up and putting his hands together. Adrien was tackled to the side by Chloe before he could bring his arms down and the two looked back the creator the impact made. The two scrambled to get up and ran away as the Akuma seemed disoriented.

Chloe started panting once she regrouped with the others, “What’s happening?”

Adrien studied the Akuma as it held its head and looked around, hitting anything that moved. “There’s no way Hawkmoth is communicating with him, he’s not talking. Something else is happening.”

Marinette looked at her best friend, “Alya, I need you to start live streaming this on the Ladyblog. It’ll get Ladybug’s attention and she’ll come! Nino, go with her and make sure she doesn’t get too close!” The two nodded and ran off to find a safe place to start recording. “Chloe, you and Tim keep an eye on it. When Ladybug and Cat Noir get here they’ll need to know all they can about it. Where the Akuma is, what it’s looking for, its patterns, everything.” Chloe nodded and grabbed Tim by the arm, looking for a better vantage point.

She looked back at Damian and Adrien. “Damian, go help your brothers and we’ll go to the other side of the building to make sure no one else is inside.”

“No. We should-”

“I’m not arguing with you right now. Go!” He watched her and Adrien run off towards the other side of the building and cursed to himself before running back to Dick and Jason.

Marinette and Adrien ran past a corner and into a bathroom in the building, “Do you think he’s around?”

“No, he would’ve been communicating with the kid by now. He’s just been confused so far.”

Plagg and Tikki flew out of their hiding places, “Hey sugarcube, long time no see.”

“I don’t think now is the time. Plus, I told you not to call me that!”

Adrien rolled his eyes, “I promise you guys can talk more later. Plagg, claws out!”

“Tikki, spots on!”

The two transformed and looked at each other for a second, “Is this weird for you too?”

“Very, but at least now we don’t have to come up with two different excuses.”

Ladybug rolled her eyes and looked at her yoyo, “Perfect, Alya is live streaming.”

“What is the Akuma doing?”

“Nothing so far, it just doesn’t want anything to get too close.” She put away her yoyo and thought for a moment, “We need to lead it out of the building to avoid too much damage. But why was he so upset?”

Cat Noir hummed, “He was injured when the Akuma was going after him. I don’t know why though, but I’m willing to bet that’s the reason.”

Ladybug nodded, “Okay. Let’s go.” The two heroes ran out of their hiding place and made their way over to Tim and Chloe watching from inside a shop, “Hello, Queen Bee.”

Chloe crossed her arms, “About time. Did you bring Pollen?”

Adrien was quick to respond, “Didn’t realize you were here, otherwise your venom would’ve been useful. We just looked over and recognized you.”

Chloe huffed and shook her head, “Doesn’t matter. The kid doesn’t want anyone getting close to him. Close combat would be hard considering the strength he has. The Akuma went into his necklace.”

Tim hummed, “Do we know how the Akuma got here?”

“No clue, but for now we need to make sure this Akuma doesn’t hurt anyone.” Ladybug put a hand on Chloe’s shoulder, “Thank you for the information.” Chloe’s eyes lit up and she nodded before Ladybug and Cat Noir took off. As soon as the Akuma saw them he became visibly agitated, “Does it recognize us?”

“He, my Lady, the Akuma is a boy.” He watched the Akuma’s eyes follow them cautiously, “Do you think we’re famous in Spain?” Suddenly the Akuma roared and charged them, shoulder acting as a battering ram as he ran after the two. Ladybug and Cat Noir jumped out of the way and the building shook when he crashed through the walls and out to the streets. “Well, that’s one way to lead him out.”

Ladybug rolled her eyes and the two followed the Akuma outside as he was picking himself up. Ladybug watched as he looked around frantically before landing on her and glaring, “I don’t think he likes me.”

“Who could hate you, Bugaboo?”

“Look out!” Ladybug grabbed Cat Noir and swing out of the way with her yoyo on top of a nearby building. “Why is he so angry?”

“Don’t know, but he has a special grudge against you.”

Ladybug watched as the Akuma did the same thing, look around before running East, “He’s heading towards that plaza, I doubt they’ve evacuated it yet.”

“Then we better hurry.” The two sprinted towards Plaza Pombo, easily getting in front of the Akuma and landing in the middle of the plaza. The two brought enough attention to themselves being new superheroes in the area and the people went from looking at the two to looking at the thing charging at them. Screaming and running ensued without Ladybug or Cat Noir needing to say anything, “Well, at least they know to run.”

Ladybug noticed how the Akuma started running faster once she came into view, “What’s going on?” She looked back at Cat Noir, “Make sure everyone is out of the area, I can distract him for a bit and try to figure something out.” Cat Noir nodded and sprinted off while Ladybug stared down the charging Akuma. “Okay, let’s see what makes you tick.” She jumped up above the Akuma and threw her yoyo to wrap it around the Akuma. She pulled at the string, struggling to hold her ground as the Akuma struggled against her. “Come on kid, talk to me! What’s wrong?”

The Akuma just roared and ran towards her making her retract her yoyo to use it to swing away onto a nearby carousel. She stood on top of it and watched as the Akuma fell forward trying to skid to a stop and look around again. “Is it looking for me or just looking for a target?” The Akuma suddenly roared out and held his head, standing up and stumbling. Ladybug jumped back down and cautiously watched it, “That’s different.”

Cat Noir landed beside her and watched the Akuma, “He’s still not talking.”

“I know.” The Akuma’s eyes landed on the two and the Akuma stomped his foot down hard, making the ground crack below them. “He’s too strong to fight head-on.”

“So what’s the plan? Usually, I’m the distraction but in this case he wants you.”

The two jumped out of the path of the Akuma and watched him charge into the carousel, destroying it. Ladybug flinched, “And I would much rather live my life to the fullest.”

“Think it’s time?”

She nodded, “Lucky Charm!” She watched as a red and black curtain fell into her arms.

“So we’re putting on a show?”

“Give me a second.” She jostled the item in her arms until she had a better grip on it and looked back the Akuma running around and destroying things. “He’s rampaging.”

Cat Noir nodded, “We have to figure out a way to distract him.”

She watched him a little more and her eyes widened, “Or disorient him.” She looked around the plaza and shook her head, “We need to lead him to a less open area though.”

“You want to bring him towards the residential area?”

“I don’t want to, but I need to in a more confined space.” She looked around and noticed how close together the light poles were in a certain area, “I have an idea.” She handed the curtain to Cat Noir, “Don’t come out until I tell you to, you’ll use the curtain to draw his attention.” He nodded and stayed back as Ladybug jumped into the plaza, “Hey, Charger!” The Akuma, Charger, looked over and roared noticing the girl, sprinting towards her. She smirked and started running towards the area she picked out, “Bring it on, big guy!”

She looked over and noticed Cat Noir running alongside her on the rooftops, always watching and always there. He yelled, “Charger? Really? I figured you could do better, my Lady!” She rolled her eyes and smiled at the jab. It made her feel new again and the elation actually made her chuckle to herself. She could’ve laughed out loud at how simple this was going to be, an easy Akuma. Very rare, unless you count Mr. Pigeon, but welcomed.

Cat Noir saw her trying not to laugh. It was like she was on a rollercoaster, her heart was racing and the danger was real, but she had total control and she was having fun with it. He was watching the Ladybug from when they were new, optimistic and confident. He felt his heart skip a beat as he remembered why he fell for her in the first place, but soon replaced with a familial pride knowing that this girl was his best friend. It made him feel excited, happy, hopeful, things that were running out alongside their energy.

As soon as she had him where she wanted him, she jumped up and threw her yoyo around the lampposts, locking them in a ring. Charger ran into the yoyo, making Ladybug almost lose her balance as she pulled on the string. She looked up and yelled, “Cat Noir! Want to play matador?”

He felt himself grin with the same mischievous intensity from when they first started fighting together. He ran and dived off the roof and jumped into the ring. He smirked and held up the curtain, “Toro! Toro!” Charge narrowed his eyes at Cat Noir and growled. Cat Noir smiled as Charger ran after him. Cat Noir stood his ground until the last second, turning quickly and the curtain leading Charger to crash into the string.

Ladybug grunted as she tightened her grip on the string, “Cat Noir! Don’t let him hit the string, the light poles will break!”

Cat Noir nodded and looked back over at Charger. Charger growled at the black cat before running forward. Cat Noir held out the curtain and waited for him to get close before turning, this time making the Akuma stumble with the sudden change of direction, but he still didn’t fall. Cat Noir smirked, “Come on! You can do better than that!” He shook the curtain in his hands and found himself having fun with it, “Toro! Toro!”

Charger gave out one final roar before running after Cat Noir. Cat Noir stood his ground and waited. Ladybug watched him as the Akuma got closer, “Cat?”

“Not yet!” He narrowed his eyes and watched Charger closely as he pushed himself towards the curtain. He took a deep breath and as soon as Charger was a few feet from ramming into him he turned, moving the curtain in a downwards motion. As expected, the hardheaded Charger followed the curtain and tripped over himself, crashing into the ground and skidding to a stop. Cat Noir flinched, “Ouch, that has to hurt.”

Ladybug retracted the yoyo, “Cat Noir, now!”

“Cataclysm!” He grabbed the necklace and watched it turn into ash in his hands while a tainted butterfly flew out.

“No more evil-doing for you little Akuma!” Ladybug ran forward and casted out her yoyo, “Time to de-evilize!” She swiped the Akuma out of the air and felt like a dormant piece of herself was being reawakened, “Gotcha!” She opened the yoyo to reveal a purified Akuma, “Bye-bye little butterfly!”

Cat Noir watched as Charger faded back down into a little confused boy and knelt down next to him, “It’s okay. We’ll fix you right up.” He knew there was a language barrier, but the soft tone made the kid relax and nod anyway.

Cat Noir tossed the curtain back over to Ladybug who promptly threw it into the air, “Miraculous Ladybug!” The curtain dispersed into tiny ladybugs that spread around the plaza and market building they were in, repairing all the damage before wrapping themselves around the boy. As soon as the ladybugs dispersed, the boy looked at himself, amazed to see that he was healed and that the damage was too. Ladybug walked over and held a hand out to him, the boy seemed hesitant to take it and looked at Cat Noir.

Cat Noir simply nodded and the boy allowed Ladybug to pick him up. “Let’s get him to Dick before time runs out. He speaks Spanish, he’ll figure out what’s going on.”

“Sounds like a plan. Lead the way, my Lady.” She nodded and the two made their over to Mercado del Este. They found their group and a small crowd waiting for them outside. She landed in front of Dick and gently placed the boy down, “We have to go, please make sure he’s taken care of.”

Dick was surprised but nodded and knelt down to the boy’s level, “Ven con nosotros, te ayudaremos.” The boy nodded and ran over to him, clutching to his leg and hiding away from Ladybug.

She frowned and turned away, ready to run off before the heroes got assaulted by flashes of lights and questions in a language they didn’t understand. Cat Noir shielded his eyes, “I think our reputation proceeds us, Bugaboo.”

She smiled and held her fist out, giving the crowd a few good pictures of their iconic “Pound it”. Without saying anything else the two jumped out of the crowd, onto the rooftops of nearby buildings and out of sight. Alya recorded the whole thing on her phone and stopped the live stream. She smiled at the footage and locked her phone. She looked around and saw the crowd dispersing since the heroes left.

Tim spoke up first, locking his own phone, “Great, how the hell did they show up in Spain?”

Alya smirked, “They have a miraculous that can teleport.”

Tim huffed, “Okay, then where’s Adrien and Marinette?”

“Right here!” The group looked back and saw Adrien and Marinette sprinting over. The two skidded to a stop in front of them and started panting, “Here.”

Chloe rolled her eyes, “You missed Ladybug and Cat Noir.”

Adrien shrugged, “Well, by the time we were done leading people out we realized we got lost.”

Marinette looked up and smiled at the small boy, “And who’s this little guy?”

Dick shrugged, “Don’t know. I’m going to go take him over to the cops here. They’ll know.” Dick looked down at the kid, “Vámonos. Vamos a hablar con la policía. ¿Está bien?” The boy nodded and Dick walked him to a nearby patrol car that arrived shortly after the Akuma crashed through the building.

Jason walked up to Marinette and looked her over, “You okay?”

Marinette rolled her eyes, “I’m fine.”

Adrien chuckled, “Yeah. That one was pretty tame compared to some of the ones in Paris.”

Tim hummed, “Kind of reminded me of Bane.”

Jason snorted, “Just goofier looking.”

Chloe scoffed, “Some of them just look ridiculous, I swear.”

Damian looked around and walked up to Marinette, “So that’s what the Miraculous Cure looks like in person.” He smirked at Marinette, “Very useful.”

Jason sighed, “Yeah, how do we get that in Gotham?”

Marinette and Adrien just looked at each other and laughed. Adrien nudged Jason, “If you have pierced ears I bet you could be the next Ladybug.”

Marinette snorted, “Yeah right.”

Chloe huffed, “’Yeah right’ is right! If anyone is going to be the next Ladybug it’s going to be me!”

Alya laughed, “I think Queen Bee suits you better.”

Nino looked over at Tim, “Did you get any good footage?”

Tim sighed, “I’ll have to look it over on my laptop later.” He looked up and narrowed his eyes at Marinette, “You two look really similar.”

Marinette tensed up and Damian just scoffed, “Just because two girls wear pigtails doesn’t mean they’re the same girl.”

Tim glared at him, “That’s not what I meant!”

Jason laughed, “That’s totally what you meant.”

Tim rolled his eyes, “They’re the same build!”

Alya let out an exaggerated yawn, “Oh no, I’m getting bored.” She giggled at Tim’s glare, “Look, I’ve barked up that tree. Trust me. It isn’t her.” Alya took out her phone, “But your dad is totally Batman.”

Tim groaned and narrowed his eyes at Marinette, “I’m not giving up.”

Damian rolled his eyes and turned back to Marinette and Adrien, “You guys want to head back to the boat?”

Before either could answer, Jason threw his arms over their shoulders, “No way! I’m still hungry! That thing made me miss my lunch.” He looked at the two, “Tell me you aren’t hungry.”

“I’ll be okay, Marinette?”

“I could eat, to be honest.”

“And that is why you are my favorite sibling!”

Tim snapped at Jason, “She is not your sister, Jason!”

“Says you. I mean look at us, she takes after me obviously.”

Marinette snorted and pushed him away, “Let’s just go eat.”

Jason grinned, “Favorite. Sibling.”

“Wait, where’s Dick?” Marinette looked around and saw him still with the authorities. She frowned and looked at Jason, “Hey, I’m going to meet you inside. I want to go get Dick.”

Jason smirked, “You sure you won’t get lost?”

Marinette rolled her eyes and ran over to the eldest brother. She couldn’t understand a word they were saying, but the kid was sitting on the trunk of the car as the adults talked. She approached slowly and waved, letting him know she was there. The boy shyly waved back making Dick turn around. “Everything okay?”

Dick sighed, “Yeah. The kid is a foster kid who got ganged up on by some local kids.”

Marinette frowned, “That’s terrible.”

“Yeah. The kids are making their own little group and the kids use red and black as their colors.”

“Oh.” Marinette frowned and looked back at the kid, “Will he be okay?”

Dick sighed, “Yeah, but the family can’t come pick him up yet.”

Marinette looked over the kid and asked, “Can he stay with us? I’ll pay for him to eat and buy him some stuff in the market.”

Dick raised his eyebrow at her before smiling, “Let me ask.”

Marinette nodded and smiled at the boy. The boy didn’t really react so she held out her fist, the boy looked at her curiously before putting out his own fist. She gently bumped it and smiled, finally making the kid smile at her. Dick turned back to her, “They said as long as they come along and they get lunch too they’ll allow it.”

“Perfect.”

Dick turned to the boy and smiled, “¿Quieres comer, amigo?” The boy nodded and lets him take him off the car. Marinette held out her hand and the boy took it as they ran into the Mercado del Este building. The group turned around and were pleasantly surprised seeing the boy run towards the table. Dick continued chatting with the policemen and motioned for them to take a seat.

Adrien smiled, “Made a friend?”

Marinette smiled down at the boy, “Yeah, I just wish I could communicate with him. I don’t even know his name.”

Tim looked up at the child, “Oye, ¿cómo te llamas chico?”

Alya crossed her arms, “Did you all take Spanish classes or something?”

“Lucas.” The group turned to the boy, “Soy Lucas.”

Tim smiled, “¿Tienes hambre, Lucas?” The boy nodded and Tim motioned for Lucas to follow him to get food. Dick pointed at the two and motioned for the police to follow them before sitting down.

Dick ruffled Marinette’s hair, “That was nice of you.”

Marinette swatted his hand away, “I just didn’t want him sitting there by himself with some cops. That’s scary to anyone, let alone a kid.”

“Yeah, but considering the kid’s life right now I think you just made his day with this.” Dick sighed, “Foster kid, bullied by some older kids, and he’s so little.”

Damian frowned, “Well then we teach him some moves to defend himself against the kids and give the foster parents some funds to ease up the burden a bit.”

Jason raised an eyebrow, amused, “What do you have in mind, Damian?”

Damian smirked, “Basics. We teach him the basics.”

Dick rolled his eyes before nodding, “We can ask him when he gets back. Right now, let him relax.”

Marinette smiled at the brothers, “I bet he’d like that.”

Chloe sighed and scrolled through her phone, “Everyone else completely missed the Akuma attack. Lucky.” She yawned, “All of their stuff is boring too. Rose and Juleka got some clothes, Mylene got some beads and a new hat for Ivan, Kim got some running pants, Lila got a new charm, and Alix grabbed some new skates.” She locked her phone, “At least we had something worth posting about.”

Alya snickered, “You like these photos?” She passed her phone over and Chloe snorted. The picture showed Damian, Adrien, and Nino carrying a ton of bags and boxes. In the middle, Nino looked exhausted and leaned on Adrien. Adrien was laughing at his friend while keeping his boxes balanced in her arms. Lastly, Damian was in the middle of an eye roll, not breaking a sweat with all the bags in his arms, and it looked like he was scolding the poor boy. Honestly, the picture was pure gold and Chloe couldn’t help but giggle.

“I love that photo. Make sure you tag me in it.”

Alya nodded, tapping the screen on her phone and posting the picture. She looked back up and noticed Marinette settling in quite nicely with the Wayne family. She smiled and nudged Nino, “Look.”

Nino looked over from his conversation with Adrien and smiled, “She looks happy.”

Adrien sighed before smirking, “Now who do we have to thank for that?” The group looked at each other and burst into giggles, causing the rest of the table to turn to them.

Jason crossed his arms, “You want to share with the rest of the class?”

Adrien shook his head, “Alya just posted some pictures.”

Marinette took out her phone and looked at Alya’s latest post before snorting. She handed it over to Jason first who grinned and handed it to Dick. Dick snickered at the image before finally handing it to Damian. Damian frowned and glared at Alya, “Really?”

Alya bit her lip, “It’s a flawless picture. It captures you three perfectly. Nino being dramatic, Adrien being adorable, and you being stupidly stern.”

Jason sent the link to the image to himself, “I’m showing Bruce.”

“No.”

“He’ll want to see his hard-ass son make friends.”

“Todd, I swear-”

Tim walked back over with the policemen and Lucas, sitting him down at the table. Tim looked around, “What’d I miss?”

“Don’t-”

Chloe handed him her phone, “Look at this picture.”

Tim smiled, “Oh my god, you look like a normal kid. I could actually cry.”

Damian growled, “You’re all intolerable.”

Marinette nudged him, “Come on, it’s a good picture.”

Damian rolled his eyes but still relaxed, “Fine.” The group all stared at him surprised, “What?”

Jason scoffed, “So you aren’t going to argue? You’re just going to accept that?”

Dick smirked, “Jason, she said he looked good. Of course he’ll stand down.”

Damian glared at his brothers, “I said it once and I’ll say it again, I will hurt you.”

Dick rolled his eyes and turned back to Lucas, “Cuando termines, ¿quieres que te enseñemos cómo protegerte?” The boy looked surprised, but nodded with a new air of excitement washed over him. Tim looked at his brothers confused, “We’ll just teach him the basics.” Tim let out a small “oh” and nodded in approval.

Marinette continued to look through the posted photos and suddenly her face heated up, “Alya!”

Alya looked over confused before a phone was shoved in her face, “What are- Oh! That’s such a cute photo, though.”

“You can’t just post that!”

Alya shrugged, “Too late. Sent these photos to Sabine too.”

Marinette looked even more alarmed and her voice was shrill, “Alya!”

Alya got up and backed away slowly, “Marinette, they’re photos.” Marinette growled and made her away around the table, making Alya back away slowly and put her hands up. She spoke softly in a voice that one would use to approach a scared animal, “Marinette, they’re just photos.” Marinette’s eye twitched and Alya squeaked before sprinting away, “MARINETTE!”

“GET BACK HERE!” Marinette ran after her, “GIVE ME THE PHONE ALYA!”

“NEVER!”

The group watched on, amused and a bit scared of Marinette’s temper. Adrien just sighed, “I missed that.”

Jason had a huge smile on his face as he watched them run around, “I’ve never seen her so ticked off. What did she post?”

Chloe pulled up Alya’s Instagram again and looked through the photos, “I don’t know, Marinette can be a bit drama-” Chloe narrowed her eyes and smirked, “Oh. That’s why.” She faced the screen over to the table and everyone but Damian snickered. The photo showed her and Damian in the arcade, sitting inside the game, both asleep, both leaning against each other under a blanket. The caption was simple and innocent enough, “sleepover gang” to go along with the other photos from the night, but it was enough to embarrass Marinette and Damian.

Jason turned back to Damian to say something snarky before getting a good look at his face, “Oh my god, he feels.” Dick turned back and noticed the pink tint gradually making its way onto his face.

The three brothers were getting too much of a kick out of this but before anyone could say anything Damian got up and ran towards the girls, “Alya give me the phone!”

Alya screamed, “Two against one! I call foul!” She skidded to a stop and watched as she was being circled by her two friends. She felt like prey and she let her instincts kick in, “You’ll pry this phone out of my cold dead hands!”

Damian’s eye twitched, “I can arrange that.”

Alya glared at him, “It’s a photo! It’s not even bad!”

Marinette growled, “Alya, give us the phone or delete the photo.”

Alya gripped onto her phone tighter, “Never.” The two sprinted forward and Alya used her practiced parkour abilities with Nino to jump over Marinette, using her back as a springboard and making Marinette fall forward. Alya turned back, “OH MY GOD, I AM SO SORRY!” Damian snapped out of his implicit hunting instincts and went over the Marinette to pick her up.

“Hey, you okay?”

“I think so.” She wiped her nose and frowned, “Scratch that. Nose bleed.”

Damian rolled his eyes and tilted her head, “Look up.”

She pouted, “I know, I’m not a little kid.”

“Yeah, uh-huh.” Damian looked her over and sighed, “Well, bleeding nose and a small bruise on your forehead-”

Marinette groaned, “A small bruise?”

“Yes, now stop interrupting.” He looked her over once more, “I think that’s it though. The bruise isn’t that noticeable.”

“It’s a bruise. You see how pale my skin is?”

“Yeah, you sure you aren’t sick or something?”

“Oh ha-ha, very funny.” Marinette smirked, “You know for someone who’s trained I expected better than that.”

Damian frowned, “I was holding back. I wouldn’t be a good friend if I hurt her, now would I?’

“You just admitted you were friends.”

Damian blinked before glaring at her, “Touché.” She laughed and he shook his head, “Shut up.”

“Never.”

“Then I’ll tell Staller not to let you in the den anymore.”

“Yeah right, Captain Staller likes me.”

“He likes me too.”

“He likes me better.”

Damian narrowed his eyes at her, “You know what? You probably have a concussion.”

She rolled her eyes, “You’re just mad because I’m right.”

“Yeah, uh-huh. Keep telling yourself that, Marinette.”

She smirked, “So you going to go get me a tissue or?”

“Yeah, yeah, I got it.” He pulled away from her and turned to the table before realizing everyone had their eyes trained on them. “What?”

Tim shook his head, “You’re kidding me, right? I’m not crazy, that actually happened.”

Alya chuckled, “Yes, yes it did.” Alya sighed in relief and took back her seat, “And it seemed to calm them down.”

Damian helped Marinette up and guided her to their chairs, “What are you guys rambling about?”

Adrien waved his hand, “Nothing, nothing.”

Damian glared at the table before turning his attention back to Marinette and holding a napkin to her nose, “Tilt your head down. Just stay like that until you think the bleeding stops.”

“I’ve gotten nose bleeds before. This isn’t the first time I’ve landed face first.”

Chloe smirked, “You can say that again.” Her comment earned her a glare from both Damian and Marinette before they turned their attention back to each other.

Dick just looked at the two amused and nostalgic, “You guys click really well together.”

“What are you blabbing about now, Grayson?”

Jason smirked, “You two act like an old married couple.”

Marinette sounded exhausted, “Why does everyone say that?”

Tim laughed, “Because it’s true.” He turned back to Lucas, “¿Listo para empezar?” The boy nodded and Tim motioned for Adrien to follow him to a more open part of the building while the rest stayed at the table.

Marinette looked confused, “Shouldn’t you go help? It was your idea.”

“Nah, Tim’s a good teacher and something tells me Adrien doesn’t mind being the test dummy for some attacks. He might actually learn something.”

Nino spoke up, “You know he’s a champion fencer, right?”

Dick looked surprised, “Really? I always thought he was a piano-playing type.”

Chloe laughed, “He’s that too. His father makes Adrien do all sorts of stuff, but I just think he does it to keep Adrien too busy to notice he’s not around.” Chloe frowned, “I swear, sometimes I want to punch that man in the face.”

Jason frowned, “What? His dad just ignores him?”

The classmates all looked at each other and stayed quiet, giving the brothers all the confirmation they needed. The three frowned as they watched Adrien happily practice with Lucas and Tim. Damian frowned, “You’d never know.”

Marinette sighed, “No you wouldn’t, that’s just how Adrien is. He loves his father, but I also think a part of him is just too scared to lose anyone else.”

“Anyone else?”

Chloe hummed, “He lost his mom a few years back. She just disappeared. After that, his father grew distant and Adrien didn’t have anyone.”

Dick frowned, “Sounds like a bad dad.”

Nino turned to Dick and in an oddly stern voice said to Dick, “Don’t ever say that around Adrien.”

Jason crossed his arms, “Seems like it’s true.”

“Maybe, but you can’t just insult his only family like that.” Alya sighed, “Gabriel is all that boy has right now. The closest family that kid has is his father, his father’s assistant, and his bodyguard. That’s it.”

Damian paused before sighing, “I got to give him more credit.” He watched them a bit more before elaborating, “Adrien is a lot stronger than he looks.”

Marinette smiled and hummed, “Yeah. Yeah, he is.”

Two adults ran into the building yelling for Lucas, who was in the middle of learning to block a kick. Lucas looked over and a smile grew on his face before running over to the couple. Alya smiled, “Must be the parents.”

Dick corrected the girl, “Foster parents.”

Nino shook his head, “No way man. You see how he looks at them? Those are his parents.” The table watched on as the parents looked him over and thanked Tim and the cops. The three were talking amongst each other and Marinette checked if there was still blood. She figured there wasn’t anymore and ran over to the couple. She handed Tim the rest of her funds that Bruce gave her and motioned for him to give it to the family.

The two women tried to reject it, but Tim insisted. “No va aceptará un no.” The women looked between the two before one of them walked over and hugged Marinette.

Marinette didn’t know Spanish, but just knew this was a show of gratitude for taking care of their child and for the gift. Marinette smiled and hugged the woman back before pulling away and holding out her fist for Lucas. Lucas grinned and enthusiastically fist-bumped Marinette. Marinette laughed and waved goodbye to the family and the policemen as the policemen escorted them outside for more questions. Marinette walked back to the table and took her seat. She looked around and saw everyone smiling at her, “What?”

Jason smiled and threw his arm over her shoulders, “I have the best little sister.”

“She’s not your sister!”

“Fight me, Tim.”

Dick rolled his eyes, “What you did right now was really sweet of you.”

Marinette waved her hands, “No! No! I just thought it’d help! I don’t know what’s happening at home but I hope it helps.”

Alya sighed, “That’s Marinette for you.”

Chloe snorted, “You remember that time she almost got run over trying to get that old lady out of the street?”

Adrien groaned, “Don’t remind me, I nearly had a heart attack.”

Marinette pouted, “She could’ve gotten hit! What else was I supposed to do?”

Alya smiled before walking over and hugging her best friends from behind, “You just do you, girl. We all love you for it.”

“Love me enough to delete that photo?”

“Girl, I don’t even love my sisters enough for that.” Marinette laughed and Alya kissed the top of her head, “You’re too sweet, but I guess that’s what you get from a baker’s daughter.”

Adrien smiled, “And she bakes too.”

Chloe giggled, “We only got one in stock, first come first serve.”

Jason jumped in, “How much is the down payment?”

“Jason!”

“What? I’m totally adopting her.”

“I don’t think my parents would approve of that.” She snapped her fingers and took out her phone, “My parents! We should call my parents! I think they took the day off today since they just got done with a really big order.”

Damian shook his head, “Maybe we sho-”

With a few rings her parents took up the screen and her mother spoke first, “You know we were starting to worry you would never call us. I mean seriously Marinette, I wouldn’t know you were alive if Alya stops messaging photos to us.”

Marinette rolled her eyes and held the phone up, “Say hi to everyone!”

The class all enthusiastically greeted the couple while the brothers were more polite in their greetings. Tom spoke up, “Hello kids! How’s the ship treating you?”

“Great!”

“Okay.”

“So far so good!”

“I’ll live.”

The parents laughed and Sabine hummed, “I see a few new faces. Who are these young men?”

Marinette switched the camera and pointed it at the brothers, “That’s Tim Drake, Dick Grayson, Damian Wayne, and Jason Todd. They’re Bruce’s sons.”

Marinette switched the camera back over and Jason ran over to get into frame, “By the way, I love your daughter. She’s funny and awesome and I want her to be the little sister I never had.” Sabine and Tom both looked very confused and Marinette couldn’t help but laugh.

Tim yelled over the table, “Please take him! We’ll do all the paperwork and take care of the payments!”

Dick rolled his eyes and pushed Jason out of frame, “Your daughter has made quite the impression on our family and on some of the staff too. She’s a good kid.”

Sabine smiled proudly, “Well that’s our Marinette. We love who she’s become.” Sabine turned her attention back to Marinette, “You look so much better Marinette. This trip has been good for you.”

Damian couldn’t help but ask, “What do you mean?”

Tom grinned, “Oh wait, I recognize you! Alya’s sent many photos of you two together! You’re Damian, right?”

Damian coughed to keep his voice even while Marinette glared at Alya, “Oh has she now?”

Alya winked and Damian rolled his eyes, “Anyways, your daughter’s had a very positive impact on our family and the captain of the ship. Captain Staller in particular has taken a liking to your daughter, which is a very rare honor.”

Tom blinked, “Well, he’s very well-spoken.”

Sabine chuckled, “Yes he is.” Damian looked confused and Sabine shook her head, “Nothing, sweetheart. So where are you right now?”

Jason pushed his way back into frame, “We’re in Spain ma’am! Bruce had us dock after the attack to allow the students to roam while the ship was getting looked at.”

Marinette could feel the tension rise back home, “Wait, what attack? And where in Spain? We just saw there was an Akuma attack there.”

Marinette flinched before getting up and walking away, “Okay, I’ll explain just give me a second.”

The table waited for her to get out of earshot before Alya snapped at Jason, “Way to go, Jason.”

“What? Why the hell didn’t you tell them about the attack?”

Adrien shook his head, “Because Marinette didn’t want to worry them.”

Damian smacked the back of Jason’s head, “Way to go, Todd.”

“Shut up.” He sighed, “They seem nice though.”

Adrien smiled, “They’re the best.”

Chloe’s expression softened, “They even welcomed me. I was their daughter’s enemy for years and they still welcomed me. I don’t know if I’d find anyone else like that.”

Nino smiled, “They’re good people, you know?”

Tim smiled back, “That must be nice. Hey Damian, you could get worse in-laws.” Tim expected a prompt annoyed response and instead got silence. He turned to look at Damian whose eyes were trained solely on Marinette. “Damian.”

Damian blinked, “What?”

Alya rolled her eyes and stood up, walked around to Damian, and pulled him up. She led him over to wear Marinette was sitting, sitting him down next to her before promptly walking away. “What was that about?”

“No clue honestly.” He looked back at the screen, “Sorry about my brother Jason, by the way.”

Sabine shook her head, “No, no, he seems nice! I’ll be honest, I was a bit concerned when a lot of the photos included three grown men among teenagers. But knowing they’re Damian’s brothers now makes sense. They look after you, don’t they?”

Damian groaned, “Annoyingly so.” Damian sighed, “They’re good people though. Plus, Jason doesn’t just warm up to anyone, but he really wanted to meet your daughter after reading her paper.”

Tom grinned, “That’s my daughter for you. But I have to ask, what was the picture of you two sleeping about?”

The two teens tensed up and Marinette lit up like a Christmas tree, “Let me start by saying it’s nothing!”

“I know it’s nothing because if something had happened you wouldn’t be looking us in the eye right now.”

“Mom!” Marinette groaned, “We were playing in the arcade late at night and fell asleep in one of the games.”

Tom pushed himself forward, “Is he good at Mecha Strike? Do we have a new challenger?”

“Dad!” Marinette relaxed and rolled her eyes, “We didn’t play Mecha Strike, but turns out Damian here is really good at dancing games.”

Sabine blinked, “I never would’ve guessed. I took you more for a strategic type.”

Damian shrugged, “I like both, but now I’m curious about this game Mecha Strike.”

Tom and Sabine both looked at each other before grinning, making Marinette feel nervous. “Tell you what Damian, when you come to Paris you can come over our house for dinner and attempt to beat us. If you do we’ll give you some free treats for you and your brothers.”

Sabine nodded, “Besides, I have to get to know my new son apparently.”

Damian rolled his eyes, “Don’t encourage him. He gets too rowdy.”

Tom laughed, “Even better. We need some good energy around these parts nowadays.”

Marinette frowned and she could feel herself worry, “Why? Has there been an Akuma attack?”

“No sweetie, but everyone is on edge waiting for one.” Sabine sighed, “I worry for Ladybug and Cat Noir, those two fight much more often recently. Must be tiring.” Sabine hummed and turned her attention back to her daughter, “Which reminds me, what are we going to do about you? Honey, there was an attack and now an Akuma? Do we need to bring you home?”

Damian noticed the way Marinette’s shoulders fell and he looked back at the phone, “I promise to watch out for Marinette.”

The three Dupain-Cheng’s let out a confused “What?”

“I said I’ll look out for her. She’s a good person and even during the attack we stuck together. My family and I are really grateful to have met her and her friends, so try not to worry about your daughter too much. We’ll take care of her.” There was a beat of silence and Damian realized how possibly inappropriate his outburst was. His eyes widened, “I mean-”

“No, no, I believe you son.” Tom just chuckled, “It just took us all by surprise. You seem very dedicated to my daughter.”

He tensed up, “I think we’ve all grown a fondness for your daughter, sir. She’s a good person.”

“Call me Tom, Damian.” Tom and Sabine looked at each other, a silent conversation passing between them before they turned back to the camera, “If you think you’ll be okay and you trust Damian-“

“I do. I trust him.”

“- and his family,” Marinette bit her lip from the outburst and Tom smiled, “then I guess it’s okay.”

Marinette looked relieved, “You guys are the best.”

Sabine smiled softly at Marinette, “Have fun sweetheart. And Marinette?”

“Yes?”

“We approve.”

“Wait what-“

“Bye sweetheart!” The screen showed that her parents ended the call and Marinette hid her face in her hands.

Damian looked at her confused, “What’s wrong?”

“They’re embarrassing.”

“They’re nice.”

Marinette nodded and looked up at him, “Yeah, they are.” She laughed, “They seem to like you and the others too.”

Damian shook his head, “Terrible judgment on their part.” Marinette nudged him and he nudged her back, “I should apologize for the outburst.”

“No, don’t.” She smiled, a hint of pink on her cheeks, “It was nice to know you guys have my back. Plus, it totally gave you a ton of brownie points with my parents.” She put her hand over her heart and looked at him accusingly before saying, “Damian Wayne, are you trying to woo over my family?”

Damian rolled his eyes, “I don’t need to try. I’m a delight to have around.”

Marinette snorted, “Yeah you are.”

Damian turned to her and he frowned, “Does the cure fix you up too? Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine.” She giggled, “Be careful, you actually sound worried.”

He frowned, “I was not worried about you, Ladybug.”

She slapped her hand over his mouth, gaining a glare from Damian, and Marinette looked behind her shoulder at the lively group at the table across the floor. She glared back at him before quietly scolding him, “Do not call me that!” 

Damian pulled away and pushed her hand away, “Don’t do that.”

“Then don’t say that.” She took a deep breath and rubbed her eyes, “You’re going to kill me with the stress you put me under.”

Damian resisted the urge to flinch at her choice of words, “Don’t say that.” Damian sighed, he knew the truth and he suspected she knew he figured her out, but still vehemently denied it. “I just told you my family was going to take care of you.”

She smirked, “Didn’t you say you were going to take of me?” The emphasis on the word “you” and the look in her eye made Damian frustrated and embarrassed.

He looked away and growled, “I just said that to appease your parents.”

“You use fancy words when you’re upset.”

He glared at her and she just giggled. He sighed and rubbed his temples, “You give me whiplash sometimes.”

She just laughed and leaned on him, “Good.” She smiled to herself and hummed, “Thank you.” Damian looked over at her and she smiled at him, “My parents would’ve asked me to come home if you didn’t step in.”

Damian rolled his eyes, “They care, sue them.”

She smirked, “No way. How am I going to get my sweets?”

“Oh yeah, Tim told me about all the sweets you ordered that first night.” He hummed, “We met that night. Now you want to tell me how you managed to eat all those sweets when you weren’t even in your room?”

Marinette pouted and flicked his nose, “Watch it.”

Damian moved his face away and smirked, “Whatever you say, Ladybug.”

Marinette grumbled but laid her head on his shoulder, sighing in defeat and closing her eyes. “I’m confused.”

“About?”

“How an Akuma got all the way out here.”

He frowned and put himself back into the detective mindset he’s developed being under Batman’s influence, “What are your theories? I’m not exactly sure how his powers work.”

“Well I know he can’t send them cross country.” She hummed, “But Lucas didn’t seem to communicate with him either. Did an Akuma just lose its way?” She continued thinking aloud to herself while Damian simply listened and took in the information, “No, that doesn’t make sense either. He usually calls them back.” Damian could tell the lack of answers was upsetting her, “Is Hawkmoth in the area? But then why didn’t he try to speak to Lucas?”

“He could be trying to throw you off his trail.”

“Maybe.” She let out a frustrated sigh before tilting her head up a bit from his shoulder to get a better look at Damian. “You want to help me figure this out?” 

Damian smiled at her, but before he could say anything the table behind them became rowdy. He sounded tired, “Oh great.” Marinette opened her eyes and the two turned, expecting to see Dick and Jason arguing or Chloe bickering with Nino. Anything other than Tim shoving a phone into Alya’s face and her paling significantly while Adrien and Dick tried to calm them down and Nino tried to take away the phone. “What the hell?”

The two ran back to the table and once they were within earshot they heard Tim say, “She should know!”

Dick glared at him, “That’s not for you to decide!”

Alya was glaring at Adrien, “You really let me do that? You let me do that for years! Adrien, why didn’t-”

Dick scolded Tim, “Tim, what is wrong with you? She was literally just-”

Tim huffed and crossed his arms, “Alya said she wants to be a reporter and the girl doesn’t even fact check, but she has the nerve to say she’s going to investigate us? No! She needs to have this wake-up call before that girl does something worst.”

Chloe glared at him and slapped her hands on the table, “As much as I hate her too, that was totally uncalled for! Honestly! Alya is having fun! We’re having fun! Or at least we were until you brought her up!”

Nino was holding Alya’s arms, “Hey. Alya, talk to me. Alya?”

“Guys?” The table turned to the two tense and confused teens. Marinette was scared to proceed with the conversation and gulped, “What’s-” Alya ran over and wrapped her arms around Marinette, shaking and holding on tight. “Alya?”

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

Marinette glared at the table, “What happened?”

Jason glared at Tim, “Alya was just telling us how she wanted to be a reporter and telling us more ‘evidence’ she found against Bruce. And this prick-”

“All I said is she needs to learn to fact check if she wants to be a good reporter!” Tim snapped at Jason, “I made that powerpoint and the more I found the more it pissed me off. She wants to be a reporter and then she lets this slip-up? For years?”

Adrien looked betrayed, “Tim, what’s with you? You’ve never snapped at any of us-”

“I’ve only just met you.”

Nino frowned, “Hey! Don’t talk to him like that! He’s just trying to figure out why you’re so mad!”

Jason glared at Tim, “Seriously Tim, I expect this from Damian or me. Not from you, what’s up?”

Tim glared at Jason and turned to Marinette and Damian. Marinette had a look that told him she was scared, confused, and most of all hurt. Damian glared at him, but underneath that initial hostility he could tell Damian was also very concerned. Tim rarely snapped at people and wouldn’t snap at a girl for something like this. Tim ran his fingers through his hair, “I don’t know! I just got really annoyed and-”

“What’s going on?” The group all looked up and noticed another group walking in. Rose, Juleka, Alix, Kim, Max, Lila, and Nathaniel alongside their guide were all staring at the group. Alix spoke up in a more demanding tone, “Hello? What’s going on?”

Tim settled his eyes on Lila and glared at the girl. Meanwhile, Alya lifted her head up, wiping her cheeks with her arm, and locked eyes with Lila. Marinette knew when Alya was at her limit, her eyes narrowed and she looked ready to kill. Marinette looked at Damian in a panic and Damian stared back. He knew the look of a killer. Both Alya and Tim had it. Damian ran over to the group and put himself in between Lila and the table, “You guys need to leave.”

Rose looked conflicted, “But-”

“NOW!” Damian used the same voice he usually used against his brothers or his more annoying teammates when he was losing his temper, worked every time. The students jumped and backed away, clearly opposed to the idea of leaving their distressed friend, but not wanting to argue with their hosts. Alix continued to glare at Damian and the rest before finally turning away and leaving.

Marinette kept her eyes locked on Alya, she could feel her practically vibrate with negative emotions. “Alya, look at me.” Alya could’ve burned a hole through the back of Lila’s head she was glaring so hard, “Alya. Snap out of it. Alya!” Marinette took a deep breath before shoving her best friend, “I said snap out of it!” Alya almost fell back and finally looked up at her best friend, confused and dazed. “Alya, what’s going on with you?”

Alya felt sick, “The powerpoint. Tim’s powerpoint.” She walked back up to Marinette and held her at arm’s length, “Why didn’t you tell me this was happening? Was this happening the whole time?” Alya’s breathing hitched as she ran her fingers through her hair, “I believed her. I can’t believe I just believed everything she told me!” Marinette furrowed her eyebrows, she felt like she was looking at a reflection of herself from below deck as Alya continued to spiral, “I didn’t check anything, I just took it! You tried to tell me! Oh my god, you tried to tell me and-”

Marinette held her friend’s shoulders, “Alya, breathe.”

Alya lip trembled, “But-”

“Four counts in, four counts hold, four counts out. I need you to try to breathe with me.” Damian blinked, realizing this was the same technique he showed her. He didn’t realize she remembered it. Marinette started to demonstrate the breathing and Alya, though confused, followed along. The group stayed quiet as they watched the two girls breathe and waited for Alya to calm down. Dick looked over at Tim and noticed he was following them and breathing in and out on Marinette’s counts. Alya eventually nodded and closed the distance between her and Marinette, hugging her. “You’ve really been in a hugging mood recently.”

“I missed my best friend and now I’m being told I’ve been friends with her bully?” She pulled away and wiped her eyes, “Why are you still friends with me?”

Marinette could feel her eyes watering and she laughed, “Because you’re always there for me when it really matters. You know how many times you went out of your way to set me up with Adrien?” The two girls laughed, “You’re stuck with me.”

Alya shook her head and sniffed, “I really don’t deserve it.”

Marinette tackled Alya, hugging the life out of her and laughing. Alya squeezed her friend back and the two just stood there. It felt like a barrier between them had been broken, a secret set free, and suddenly any drifting they once had didn’t matter anymore. They two stood there for what seemed like an eternity before pulling away, laughing at the redness of each other’s faces. “I love you Marinette, you know that?”

Marinette nodded and wiped her nose, “Love you too.”

Alya kissed the girl’s forehead before looking her in the eye, “I will murder that girl though.”

“Don’t.”

“Please, come on! I can take her!”

Jason stood up and motioned to Alya, “See! That’s what I’m talking about! Let’s just throw her overboard.”

Marinette glared at the two, “No and no!” She sighed, “Alya look at me.” Alya nodded and Marinette sighed, “Thank you, but even if you hate her I need you to not change anything.” Alya looked at her confused and Marinette continued, “If she catches on that you know, she’s just going to get more aggressive. She doesn’t want friends, she wants control. We can’t let her know that she’s lost someone.”

“But-”

“Marinette’s right.” Adrien stood up and walked to the girls, “The only way I’ve kept Lila in check is by threatening to pull away from her if she hurt my friends.” He sighed, “Now, I don’t even think that will do anything anymore. She’s gotten way more aggressive these past few months.”

Alya narrowed his eyes at him, “You knew.”

Nino did the same, “I still can’t believe that.”

Marinette stepped in, “Hey, hey, look at me! This isn’t about him! We both agreed it’d be better that way, but now Lila’s changed so we need to too.” She sighed and glared at Tim, “Though I would’ve appreciated it if I could’ve been the one to tell them.”

Tim sighed, visibly calmed, “Sorry. I don’t know what happened to me.” He rubbed his temples, “God my head hurts.” As soon as he said that it’s as if it set something off among the group and everyone besides Damian, Marinette, and Adrien all looked extremely uncomfortable. All rubbed their temples or held their heads. The three unaffected looked at each other confused and everyone looked drained. Tim looked back over at the girls, “I don’t regret it though. They needed to know.”

Before Marinette could say anything Alya cut in, “He’s right.” She sighed and pulled away, sitting down and putting her head into her hands, “Maybe I’m not cut out for this.”

Tim frowned before getting up and putting a hand on her shoulder, “Hey, Alya, a lot of the evidence you’ve accumulated makes a lot of sense. For a teenager, you’ve got an eye for information and a good hunch. Do I think you can prove Bruce is Batman? No. Do I think you’ll make a good case?” He sent her an encouraging smile, “Yeah. No doubts.” Tim was being honest. Alya reminded him of himself back when he first went through the trouble of figuring out Batman’s identity himself. It was funny and nostalgic, he didn’t want to ruin this for her.

Alya smiled and sighed, “Thanks, Tim.”

Dick rubbed his eyes and groaned, “Is anyone else feeling whiplash?”

Chloe did the same, “Yes.”

Adrien smiled sympathetically before turning to Damian and Marinette, “Maybe it’s time we get back to the ship. I think there’s been enough excitement for all of us.”

The two looked at each other and nodded. Damian pulled out his phone to call a ride and Marinette walked over to throw some bags over her shoulders. Marinette turned back to Adrien, “I think it’s time we all need some time to think this over. I refuse to let Lila ruin this vacation!” She looked back at Damian. He was still on call but turned back to the group and the two locked eyes. Adrien watched as the two nodded at each other as if a conversation just passed between the two for the second time in just a few moments.

Adrien raised an eyebrow, “You two have gotten close.” Marinette shrugged and walked over to Alya to help her up. Damian locked his phone and walked over to grab the bags and nudged his brothers to get up. The two seemed to work around each other without issue to get the group ready to return to the ship. It reminded him of large families at the parks and how the parents would gather all their kids to get them ready to go home. Adrien chuckled to himself before helping Nino up. Nino looked at his friend, grateful for the help, before the whole table got up and walked to a limo ready to bring them back to the ship.

The air around the group was strange. There was some tension leftover from the argument, but it was dulled down by everyone’s exhaustion. However, a new sense of closeness engulfed the group despite everything. The return trip home was comfortably quiet as everyone processed the day. Damian sat beside Marinette and Alya and looked out the window. The girls’ arms were linked and they leaned on each other for comfort, Alya already asleep with her head on Marinette’s shoulder. Tim sat towards the front alone, going through his phone and trying to process his own feelings. The rest were scattered around, all too tired to care about anything else. No one spoke out of fear of ruining the atmosphere. It was silent, but safe and the group was comforted by the hum of the engine.

Damian looked away from the window, stretched, and made eye contact with Marinette. Marinette sent him a tired smiled before grabbing his arm and gently pulling. Damian resisted at first and shook his head, but Marinette’s pleading eyes and reassuring smile made him give in. He hesitantly leaned against her, yawned, and looked around the limo once last time. The others seemed to look surprised but couldn’t bring themselves to say anything. Instead, they all just went back to their own devices, smiling softly, savoring their comforting and safe bubble within the walls of the large vehicle. Any comments they had could be saved for later, right now they were simply content with the day’s end and wanted to be back in their own beds for a long rest.


	10. No Longer Adrift

Bruce was getting more and more frustrated as the days passed. The surveillance videos from the boat and from the jail didn’t give him anything to work with. He passed through each video, frame by frame, countless times. He watched as the pirates seemed to materialize out of nowhere, there was no other ship passing, they were in the middle of the ocean and were suddenly being invaded.

He rubbed his eyes, watching the oddly similar henchmen rampage through the halls. They didn’t even look to be looking for something like the gunman said, they were just going through the ship causing chaos. He slammed his fist on the table re-watching the pirates in the jail cells suddenly disappear without a trace, leaving behind two young boys. One was injured in his leg, shot. He slowed it down and watched as the camera seemed to glitch and show a purple-black screen before the camera came back into focus and everyone was gone.

Bruce was running through the list of known villains in his head. The gunman said joker was a part of this, didn’t he? He mumbled to himself, “Is Scarecrow a part of this?” He shook his head, “No. No. He messes with minds, not cameras.” He let out an exasperated sigh before sitting back down in his chair. He rubbed his temples and groaned, “None of my theories make any sense, all the villains are in Gotham. They wouldn’t come all the way to Europe to rob me. It would be easier just to raid the manor while it was empty.” He ran his fingers through his hair, “None of them are that stupid.” He thought for a moment before laughing to himself, “Okay, maybe Harley.” 

“So are you gonna keep talking to yourself in the dark or are you going to actually join us on this cruise?” He quickly turned to see Tim in the doorway.

Bruce allowed his eyes to adjust to the hallway lights and pinched his nose, “Tim, don’t do that.”

“When was the last time you slept?”

Bruce rolled his eyes and smirked, “Isn’t this conversation usually the other way around?”

“Bruce I’m serious. We haven’t seen you in days.” Tim narrowed his eyes, looking at the footage on the screen, “Oh, that’s what you’ve been up to.”

Bruce closed the footage and turned off the computer, “Barbara and I have been looking at this footage forwards, backwards, frame by frame.”

“And?”

Bruce looked disheartened and bitter, “Nothing. They just disappeared. No one saw anything, no residents ever reported anything, nothing. They vanished.” He shook his head, “Usually they leave a clue or lead or something I can work with. This time? Nothing. I’ve checked back in with Gotham and no one has heard anything about a job to overtake a ship. All the villains are accounted for too.”

Tim hummed, “But the one guy had Joker’s laughing gas.”

“I know.” Bruce stood up and stretched out his back until he heard a crack, “What day is it?”

“Bruce, seriously?” Bruce looked at Tim with a very serious expression and Tim rolled his eyes, “It’s Wednesday.”

Bruce’s eyes widened slightly, “I’ve been down here for over a week?”

“Apparently.” Tim went over to Bruce’s side and looked over his mentor, “I swear, Alfred would’ve never let this happen.” Tim straightened out some of his clothes and Bruce yawned, finally letting the exhaustion hit him. Tim sighed, “Have you been keeping up with everything?”

“I know about the Akuma attacks if that’s what you’re asking.”

“No, I meant with your son.” Bruce raised an eyebrow at Tim and Tim just smirked, “Come on, you’ll want to see this.” Tim opened the door and motioned for Bruce to follow him, “Besides, you need to go back to your room. Seriously, you need to bathe.”

Bruce rolled his eyes and walked out into the hallway, letting Tim lead the way as they walked out of their little maze below deck up to the higher floors. Tim continued up until they were walking towards a balcony overlooking the main deck, Jason and Adrien already there. Jason turned back and grinned, “He’s alive! Who knew?”

Adrien turned around and smiled, “Nice to see you again, sir.”

“Bruce is fine, Adrien.”

Adrien smiled and nodded before turning his attention back over the balcony. Jason led Bruce over to the balcony and pointed at two figures standing closely together by the railings. “What am I looking at here?”

“That, my dear Bruce, is your blood son actually bonding with someone.” Jason grinned and did everything in his power to not burst out laughing at Bruce’s shocked expression. The bags under his eyes only made the look more exaggerated, making it even harder not to laugh.

“That’s not Damian.”

Adrien snickered, “It is and that there next to him is our little Marinette.” He sighed and leaned against the rails, “They’ve gotten very close.”

Tim let out a small ‘Ha!’ before turning back to Bruce, “We found out they do this practically every night after they’ve visited the captain and think everybody else has gone to sleep. They don’t do anything but talk, sometimes they lean on each other, but it’s still cute to see.”

“I’m more so surprised you three haven’t interrupted them.” Bruce turned to see Jason and Tim look slightly offended before the two shrugged and nodded, knowing damn well Bruce was right. “So why aren’t you guys crashing the party?”

“Because I won’t let them.” Bruce turned to see Alya, Nino, and Dick walking up the hallway. All of them were in pajamas and looked amused. “I refuse to let your sons ruin this for my best friend.” She nudged Dick forward, “Just caught this one trying to interrupt.”

“I just wanted to know what they were talking about!” Dick smiled nervously under Bruce’s tired glare before the old bat turned his attention back over the balcony. Dick relaxed and looked at the couple, “You know Damian is doing a lot better.”

“Is he now?”

“Alya, can you show him the photos?” Alya chuckled before handing Bruce her phone. Bruce scrolled through the feed before landing on a few photos. It was mainly of the group of classmates, but Damian was one of them. To a stranger, you’d think it was just a photo of friends. They all looked like they were having fun, even in the photos where some were squabbling with each other or where Damian looked like he was in the middle of scolding someone, and it looked natural. To Bruce, it was like looking at a different child altogether. He found a photo of the three boys holding bags from the day they first docked and smiled. “He looks so normal. It’s crazy, right?”

Bruce nodded and handed the phone back to Alya, “Make sure I get a copy of all those photos.”

Alya smirked, “Only if I get my interview, Bats?”

Bruce tense and Tim jumped in, “She thinks you’re Batman. Don’t humor her.”

Alya glared at Tim, “You’re just mad because I have way more leads than you do.”

Bruce blinked and turned to Tim, “Leads on what?”

Nino snickered, “He thinks Marinette is Ladybug.”

Bruce looked back at the girl next to Damian, “Is she?”

“She has to be. No one is that badass without some kind of history of crime-fighting.” Jason turned to Bruce and shrugged, “Plus, she took charge that night of the raid. She came up with a plan on the spot and, most importantly, bossed you around.” Jason watched as the gears in Bruce’s head begin to turn and smiled, “I’m telling you, she’s Ladybug.”

Adrien rolled his eyes, “Uh-huh. And I’m Carapace.”

“Who?”

“The turtle one.” Tim frowned and turned back to Alya, “Hey, where’s Chloe?”

“She said she needed to catch up on her beauty rest tonight.” Alya walked up to the railing of the balcony and pointed the phone at the couple below, “It’s fine. She’s not missing much.”

Bruce took a step back and looked over the group. He didn’t realize how close the Françoise Dupont kids have gotten with his own. If he were to take a picture, nothing would seem out of place. The group looked so comfortable with each other. It was jarring, but not bad by any means.

Dick turned back to the group, “Alright. Enough spying. Let’s leave them be.”

“You’re just bored.”

“Yes, I am.” Dick began herding the group away from their vantage point and laughed, “It’s late. Let’s go.”

Bruce watched as the rest of the group groaned, but complied with the eldest. He hung back and walked next to Dick, “What have I missed?”

Dick chuckled, “You want to adopt five more kids?”

Jason shouted over his shoulder, “At least can we adopt Marinette?” The kids shook their heads and laughed and Bruce realized it was part of an inside joke.

Bruce looked surprised, “You’re all very close aren’t you?”

Nino turned back to Bruce and smiled, “Your kids are great company, my dude. Seriously.”

Adrien snorted, “You sound like a parent or something. ‘Oh, your kids are great!’” Adrien turned to Bruce and grinned, “He’s right though. This is the most fun any of us have had in who knows how long.”

Bruce frowned, “Really?”

Alya stretched and nodded, “Hardly any Akuma attacks, new friends, new theory, and I see my girl find romance? Best. Vacation. Ever.”

Tim rolled his eyes, “You’re theory doesn’t stand.”

“You’ve seen the evidence I gathered.”

“All substantial.”

“So is yours.”

Bruce watched in amusement at the two glared at each other, both determined to out investigate each other. It was rare Tim found someone to compete with, but he seemed to have fun. Alya reminded him of Tim when he first came into their lives; spunky, smart, stubborn, and fired up. “I’m Batman, huh?”

Alya nodded, “I’ll prove it. I know I can. Every bone in my body is telling me I’m right.”

Jason laughed, “You sure you aren’t constipated?”

Alya blushed and pushed Jason playfully, “No!”

The group laughed at the antics and Bruce turned to his oldest, “So what’s happening with those two? Any progress?”

“You mean Damian and Marinette? They’re inseparable.” Dick chuckled, “It’s actually kind of cute. They hang onto each other, but I don’t think they realize it. The way they bicker with each other is hilarious to watch, too. It’s like an old married couple.”

Alya laughed, “Plus, she’s the only one who can calm him down if he starts to get too annoyed.”

“It is getting harder for him to say no to her.” Adrien hummed in approval, “He gives Marinette a run for her money. He’ll randomly say things that just make her light up and embarrass her, it’s kind of great.”

Jason nodded, “Oh my god, what did he say yesterday?”

Nino thought for a moment, “Wasn’t it something like ‘I’m not leaving her’ or something?”

Tim laughed, “Oh yeah, the guide for the last city we visited wanted to separate them! He got so mad and wouldn’t leave her alone.”

Bruce couldn’t believe most of the stuff he was hearing, “This is Damian? My son Damian? Damian used to be al Ghul now Wayne, that Damian?” The group all nodded and Bruce scoffed, “She’s magic isn’t she?”

“If we’re right, she’s magic.” The group came to a split in the hallway and the group went their separate ways. The family waved goodnight to the classmates before walking through the halls towards their own rooms. Tim broke the silence, “So Bruce still can’t find anything on the videos.”

“Really? Did Barbara-“

“She looked through them, yes.” Bruce pinched his nose, “We can’t figure it out. How does a whole crew of raiders just disappear?”

Jason frowned, “All I know is if I find the bastard that threw Marinette overboard, I’m killing him.” Bruce sent a warning look to Jason and Jason didn’t even flinch, “What? I’m serious. He could’ve killed her.”

“So you think killing him is the answer?”

“It’s an answer, one I’m going to enjoy a lot.”

Bruce sighed and stopped walking, making the other three pause as well, “None of this is making sense. They disappeared, Akumas have popped up in a few of the cities we’ve visited, what is going on?”

“Have you tried letting Alya watch the video?” The group turned to Dick who only shrugged, “Out of everyone in Paris, we got the one person who knows all things Miraculous and Ladybug. If you think it might be an Akuma, she’ll be the one to confirm or deny your theory.”

Tim groaned, “Then she’ll actually know he’s Batman. The girl might’ve been naïve when it came to Lila, but she’s not dumb.”

“That reminds me, what happened with her? That Rossi girl?”

“Still a liar, but at least now Marinette has her friends on her side.”

Bruce did not miss the small scowl Dick sent Tim, “What happened?”

Tim flinched and Dick nudged him to talk, “I may have snapped at Alya and completely outted Lila to her.”

“That’s a bad thing?”

“It is when you yell at her and her friends to prove a point instead of just protecting your friends.” Dick sighed, “You still can’t figure out why you were so mad?”

Tim groaned, “No, I can’t. All of a sudden I got so pissed and then next thing I knew I was shoving my phone in her face. Everyone was yelling. And then the migraines-“

“Migraines?”

Jason nodded and frowned, “Migraines. I’m pretty sure everyone on the ship had them.”

“Everyone except Marinette, Adrien, Damian, and Lila.” Dick hummed, “I don’t get it.”

Jason snickered, “It’s the power of love. Damian is so head over heels for Marinette he wouldn’t notice if he was having a migraine anyways.” Jason sighed, “Adrien probably gets them all the time from the flashing cameras at his photoshoots. I wouldn’t be surprised if he just wasn’t bothered or didn’t even notice it.”

“And Lila?”

“She’s just a bitch.”

Bruce turned to scold him, “Jason!”

Tim and Dick shrugged, “True.”

Bruce was about to say something to his sons before noticing Dick’s shirt, “Where did you get that?”

Dick looked down and smiled, “Marinette made it for me.” He did a quick spin, “Red and black and Nightwing themed. It’s perfect.”

Bruce’s expression deadpanned, “You’re really walking around like that while a junior reporter is actively investigating our family?”

Dick shrugged, “She’s investigating you, not me.” The four stopped in front of Bruce’s room and Dick looked over Bruce one last time, “Get some sleep. Me and Tim can look over the video again tomorrow. You need to rest.”

Bruce’s shoulders fell, but nodded. He knew they were right. He went into his room, locking the door behind him, and headed for the shower first. All the while, the two teens at the center of attention continued to talk against their spot on the railings.

“So let me get this straight, Dick was part of a circus?”

“It makes sense why he acts like a clown now, doesn’t it?” Marinette snorted and lightly hit Damian’s arm. Damian chuckled, “Don’t act like I’m the only one with weird people in my life. You know two famous singers.”

“Jagged and Clara don’t count, they’re family now.”

“Mine are family too and I still make fun of them.”

Marinette smirked, “I noticed.” She sighed and looked over the water, “Where are we landing next?”

“Well, it seems we’ll be in Portugal soon. I suspect we’re visiting Lisbon next.”

She nodded, “You think there’s going to be another Akuma attack?”

“I hope not.” Damian sighed leaned against the rails, “Who do you want to investigate next?”

“I don’t know.” Marinette looked over at Damian and looked back at the past week. After the second Akuma in Pontevedra, they decided that Hawkmoth had to be on the ship. The only problem was he wasn’t talking to any of the Akumas. They couldn’t figure out what he was trying to pull, but Damian figured he couldn’t be losing all of these corrupted butterflies. It had to be coming from somewhere and considering it was only happening in the cities they visited, Hawkmoth had to be on the boat. “Have you noticed the mood recently?”

“What do you mean?”

“Everyone’s been on edge.”

“Makes sense, there are Akumas on the loose.”

“No, no, no. Like everyone is upset. I get being paranoid because of an Akuma, Paris is like that all the time, but this is different. It’s like everyone’s worst emotions are being amplified.” She sighed, “Alix and Kim went into a full-blown argument over something, Alya wants to kill Lila-”

“Still don’t know why you won’t let her have a go at Lila.”

Marinette frowned and nudged him before continuing, “Tim snapped at us, the staff gets frustrated easily. It wasn’t like this in the beginning.”

Damian sighed and thought it over, “Tension is rising and everyone is stuck on this boat. You can’t run from your problems here, you have to deal with them.”

A sudden breeze made Marinette shiver and she glared at the water, “Too cold!”

“You’re yelling at the sea.”

“I know.” She stuck her tongue out at the ocean and, as if to respond, another gust of wind nearly froze the poor girl.

Damian laughed, “You’re having an argument with water and loosing.” She glared at him, shaking from the cold, and he just rolled his eyes. “Come on. You want to go to the den?”

Marinette’s eyes lit up and she nodded before scurrying off inside the hall, away from the wind. Damian shook his head and followed her, close behind. Marinette looked over her shoulder and laughed, “Wanna race, baby bird?”

“Let’s do this Bug.” The two smirked and suddenly started running full speed up the stairs and through the halls. Damian looked over at the girl, he was impressed she could keep up with him, unbeknownst to him she was thinking the same thing. The two locked eyes and started laughing as they continued to sprint through the ship. He admitted to himself he felt odd. Doing things with this girl and her friends, talking together, doing things as mundane as racing for no reason, it made him feel some kind of way. Nothing bad, just unusual. He wondered if this was how a normal kid was supposed to feel like playing with their friends. He refused to say it out loud, but he considered them friends despite knowing them for such a short amount of time. 

Then there was Marinette. The nicknames started as a joke due to the theories being thrown around. Marinette decided if he kept calling her Ladybug then she should call him something. Without much thought, he told her to refer to him as Robin - Batman’s sidekick. He hoped she didn’t think too much of it and, unlike him, she didn’t pry the way he did if she was suspicious about something. Now, they had themed nicknames they’d say to each other in private, away from everyone in their own little world when they spent time together.

Marinette and Damian skid around a corner, but Marinette lost her footing and slammed into the wall. Damian came to a stop and ran back over to her. He helped her up and looked her over, “I’m fine.”

“Let me just check.” The two stood there, panting from the run, while Damian quickly examined her. “No bruises.”

“I’m telling you I’m fine. I’ve had worse falls than that.”

“Chloe’s right, you’re a walking accident waiting to happen.” Marinette pouted and Damian just smirked at her, leaning in, “What?”

She sighed, putting a finger on his nose and pushing him back, “You suck.” She felt an odd sense of deja vu after doing the gesture but didn’t pay any attention to it when she saw how his nose scrunched up. She giggled, “At least you’re cute.”

“I’m cute?” Now he was the one pouting, “I am not cute.”

She poked his nose, causing his nose to scrunch up again, “Cute.”

He shook his head, “You’re becoming worse than my brothers.”

“Yet you still want to hang out with me.”

“Yeah, because out of everyone you’re the least annoying.” She snorted and pushed him playfully, causing him to chuckle. “Come on, we’re close to the den.” She nodded and absent-mindedly grabbed his arm. He’s gotten used to her gestures, noticing very quickly she’s someone who likes to touch and be touched. He noticed that with everyone, with Alya they would link arms, same with Adrien and Nino. With Chloe they would at most hold hands as one dragged the other around stores and Marinette would hug Chloe when Chloe did something particularly good-natured. With his brothers, she’d give lots of hugs but never grab onto them. If she didn’t feel comfortable holding someone’s arm or hand, she’d unconsciously stand very close to them. 

He wondered if it was a way for her to keep them close, which to him made sense after the isolation she felt before the ship. Still, she didn’t do things like this with his brothers. She didn’t grab their arms or hold their hands or lean on them the way she did with him. He’d never admit it, but he liked being the only one she’d do this with.

She leaned on him and he smiled softly as they made their way to the den. Marinette loved the den. It was the one place on the ship where she could work out her feelings without issue. No one went up there except the captain and Damian. The captain turned into somewhat of a familial role, like a grandfather or an old uncle, and she trusted him. She worried for the man, she could tell his mood has also gotten worse, however, he wasn’t mad or frustrated. Captain Staller was just extremely sad and gloomy without the influence of the two teens. She wondered if he was depressed and if Anne’s anniversary was coming up, then this behavior would make sense. 

Then there was Damian. Damian became someone very close within the first few days of knowing each other. She knew there was something odd about him, even Adrien told her about his thoughts on the four brothers and their abilities, but he was honest. He allowed her to vent to him and helped her sort through her feelings and she would do the same for him. She sympathized with him, saddened by his past and lack of childhood at the hands of his mother. Bruce’s influence was clear to see, but she wanted to see him. Not the child molded to be the future head of the family, not the boy trying to live up to the legacy of his brothers or father, she wanted to know more about Damian. She could tell he wasn’t used to sharing or letting his walls down, making her feel special when he would around her.

They had a routine; change for bed, meet at the den, and then talk by the railings. They both knew they were being spied on half the time but were thankful for none of them interrupting their time together. Still, there was a small sense of uncertainty surrounding the two. While both wondered what their relationship was, neither wanted to ask and break the new bottle they found themselves in. It was safe, they were content, and they were together.

Damian pulled away from her side and opened the door for her. She walked in and noted how dark the room was, it made the moonlight seem that much brighter. She stopped Damian from turning on the lights and led him over to the big chairs that the two sank into. She laid down and placed her head on his lap, something they both just allowed to happen a few nights after the raid when her anxiety spiked. She was comforted by the company and he felt soothed by the warmth and the act of petting down her hair. The intimacy was something both lacked and this time together felt like they were making up for it. She sighed, “I think we should investigate Charles next.”

“Why him? I thought he was your friend.”

“He looked really out of sorts the next day and this week he’s just seemed out of it and paranoid. He would get jumpy if I accidentally snuck up on him.”

Damian hummed, “You think he’s Hawkmoth?”

“No, I just think he might know something. No one acts like that unless they’re hiding something.”

“Or hiding from someone.”

Marinette turned her head to look up at him, “You think he’s hiding from someone?”

“He could be, or maybe he’s worried about being akumatized.”

Marinette turned onto her back, looking up at him, “I don’t know. I don’t know how any of these people act. I’m grasping at straws at this point.”

Damian sighed, “Well, all of your classmates and Ms. Bustier have all been akumatized, so it can’t really be any of them. Unless we have another French passenger, we’ll have to look into everyone else.”

After a moment Marinette’s eyes widened and she suddenly sat up, almost knocking her head into Damian’s. “Another French passenger, of course!” She turned to Damian with a newfound spark, “Is there any way to get a list of the passengers? We’ll need a list of every French passenger outside the class.”

Damian smirked and sent out a text, “I’ll tell Drake to get that to me by tomorrow.”

“Tim?”

Damian sent out the text and locked his phone, “Drake is the best investigator out of the four of us. It could take us a bit to look through all the passengers, but he’ll take seconds and do a background check as well.” Damian let out a tired sigh, “Grayson’s the beloved oldest, Todd’s the strongest, Drake’s the smartest, and I’m-”

“You’re wonderful.” Marinette grabbed his head and turned it so she could look him in the eye, “Don’t compare yourself to your brothers.”

He rolled his eyes, “I was going to say I’m still the best out of the four.”

She relaxed and sighed, still not letting go of his face, “You really do have a superiority complex.” She squeezed his cheeks, earning a playful glare.

“You going to let go?”

“No.” She squeezed his cheeks one last time before letting go, “Okay now I’m good.”

Damian snorted, “You remind me of my best friend Jon.”

Marinette sat up straight with peaked curiosity, “You just called someone friend. Best friend. Tell me more!” Marinette shook his shoulders, “Come on, tell me!”

Damian moved her hands away, “I won’t until you calm down.”

She stopped bouncing in her seat and frowned, “Can you really blame me?”

“No.” He scrolled through his phone before finding an old photo of them when he was 13 and Jon was 11. He handed it over to Marinette and she smiled.

She sat back down next to him, leaning on him, before saying, “You guys are so cute. So he’s a childhood friend?”

“Yeah, we’ve known each other for some time now.”

“Is he older than you?”

He let out an exasperated sigh, “Just because he’s taller doesn’t mean he’s older. Everyone thinks that.” He looked back at the photo and pointed, “I’m 13 there and he’s 11.”

She giggled, “You look like a baby.”

“I did not.”

“Babyface.”

“Marinette-”

“Cute baby face.”

He huffed and poked her side, making her squeak and jump away. He took the opportunity to grab his phone, “No.” She narrowed her eyes at him and he smirked.

“You’re too cocky.” She looked between him and the phone before lunging for it. “I want to see more photos!”

Damian leaned back and held his phone away, “Never.”

Marinette huffed and struggled against him, “Come on! Let me see more babyface photos!”

“No!” He sounded angry, but his face held a big smile as he watched the girl try to figure out a way to get the phone. “This is actually very entertaining.”

“Shut up.” She blew the bangs out of her face and sat back down. “Come on! You’ve never mentioned your friends before.”

“I’ve mentioned my team.”

“Yeah, but you’ve never once said ‘friend’. This is exciting!”

“Me and you have very different definitions of exciting.” She frowned before lunging at the phone again and managed to knock Damian over, “Marinette!”

“Let me see more Jon photos, then I’ll get off.”

Damian narrowed his eyes at her before flipping them over. Marinette let out a small “oof” before looking up at a very smug Damian. “You were saying?”

She huffed, “Killjoy.”

Damian raised an eyebrow at her, “Really? Maybe I should get Lila in here. I was just assaulted.”

She glared at him before pushing him off, “Don’t even joke about that.”

Her serious tone made him frown, “Too soon?”

“It’s always too soon with her.” She frowned and rubbed her temples, “Should I just let Tim do it? Should he just out her to everyone in my class?”

“I would love that because I want to see her face when he does it, but considering there’s a chance Hawkmoth may be on the ship I wouldn’t want to have her become an Akuma.” Damian shoulders fell, “I really don’t want you being the target of that.”

She sent him a small smile, “I can handle her.”

“As Ladybug, maybe. As Marinette, no. I’m not risking that.”

“Be careful, you sound worried.”

“I am worried.” Marinette turned to him and found that he was staring at her, “I don’t want you getting hurt. Especially not while we’re on this trip.”

“And after it’s over?” He didn’t answer and she sighed, “Damian-”

“I know.” He turned to her and he looked her over, trying to figure out their next steps. “First let’s figure out what’s happening on the ship.”

Her shoulders fell and nodded, “Yeah.” She scooted closer to him and leaned on him, “Damian?”

“Yeah?”

She bit her lip before finally asking, “Are you actually Robin?”

He thought for a moment before finally closing his eyes and breathing out a soft, “Yeah.”

She hummed, “Makes sense.” She turned to face him, “You’re right. I know you know, but I thought I should say it.”

Damian snorted, “Thanks. Good to know.” He took a deep breath before shaking his head, “No. Actually, that’s not good. Nothing about your situation is ‘good’.” Marinette nodded and nuzzled into his neck, “What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know. Find Hawkmoth, keep the city safe, fix everything.”

“It shouldn’t be your job to clean up the mess he makes.”

“What about you?” She frowned, “You don’t even have powers. You’re just human.”

“You’re human.”

“With magical powers, not the same.” She linked her arm with his and gave his bicep a comforting squeeze, “You shouldn’t be out there.”

“It’s not the same. I choose to go and fight, you were randomly given magic earrings and had to fight.”

She paused for a moment before admitting, “I almost wasn’t Ladybug.” Damian turned his head slightly in her direction and she took it as a sign to continue. “Stone Heart was the first Akuma we ever faced. He caused a lot of mayhem and I thought it was my fault for not stopping him the first time.” She let out a small bittersweet laugh, “I put the earrings in Alya’s bag.”

“What changed your mind?”

“Alya got hurt and Cat Noir was in trouble. I couldn’t stand there and do nothing. I had to help.” She sighed, “In a way, I chose it too.”

“That’s not fair. You have a good heart, of course you were going to save them, but to just put that responsibility on a kid?”

“What about you?”

Damian smiled bitterly as he thought back to when his mother dropped him off with a father who didn’t know he existed, “When my mother left me I was full of rage over those who killed my grandfather. I wanted revenge and nothing was going to stop me. Batman took me in after Nightwing stopped me from almost killing a man who had a connection to the murderer. I told him I wanted to help like Nightwing used to, as the new Robin, and he agreed.”

Marinette listened before pulling away, “You almost killed someone?”

Damian realized his slip and tensed before turning away from her, “Like I said, there’s a lot of stuff about me you won’t want to know.” He looked down at his lap and scowled, “I’m not a good person. I did a lot of bad things, even as Robin I’ve done really bad things.”

He didn’t want to look up, he figured she would run away like a sane person. He figured she wouldn’t want to talk to him anymore. “I didn’t know you before, but I can tell you’re a good person. Even if you did some bad things in the past, what matters is that you learn from them and be a better person now.” He wasn’t expecting that. She put her hand on his cheek and turned his head to her, “I think you’re a good person, Damian.” Damian didn’t respond outwardly until Marinette wrapped her arms around him. Her hug snapped him out of the initial shock and he wrapped his arms around her. This was only the second time they’ve hugged, the first time being when she first had a panic attack below deck, and he was grateful for it. She buried her face in the crook of his neck, “What’s going to happen now?”

Damian gave her a small squeeze, “I don’t know.”

He felt her hot breath against his skin as she let out a soft laugh, “I don’t know either.” She moved herself to be sitting in his lap, not releasing the hug. “I’m scared. What if the reason Hawkmoth is on this ship is that he knows Ladybug is on it? What if figured me out?”

“We don’t know that. We don’t know he’s on this ship.”

She rubbed her cheek against the fabric of his shirt, “Damian, these Akumas are coming from somewhere. They don’t wander this far out.”

“Are you sure? Has it ever happened before?”

“It has. The first time we brought Pegasus into the mix was because an Akuma made its way onto the train we were on. We were definitely outside of Hawkmoth’s range by that point.”

“Okay, so the option that he’s letting them wander isn’t impossible.” He knew it was farfetched, but he didn’t want her to think her identity was compromised. He didn’t want to think about a terrorist following her around and attacking her for some earrings, magic or otherwise. He could tell she was getting stuck inside her own head, upsetting thoughts taking over, and pulled out his phone. “You want to see more pictures of me and Jon.”

She quickly turned and looked at the phone, “Seriously?”

He chuckled, “Yeah.” She turned, back resting against his chest as he leaned back and they looked through the photos together. He pointed out different places they’d been, different pranks they’ve pulled on each other, their different pets, all the while making fun of his best friend. “He has this southern drawl sometimes and it’s so annoying.”

“He sounds fun.”

“He can be, but I’ll never tell him that. It’ll go to his head.”

She held his phone and made a confused face, “I’ll never get these fancy new phones.”

“You sound like a grandma.”

“Makes sense if everyone keeps calling us an old married couple.” She laughed, “You sound like an old angry grandpa.”

“I do not.”

“You are totally the type to yell at kids to get off your lawn.”

“I’ll take away the phone.”

“You wouldn’t dare.” She tapped on the screen and grumbled, “What the heck?”

Damian reached for the phone, “Hey, I can just-” All of a sudden the phone screen lit up, indicating a call had been placed and before either could do anything, a boy with messy hair and a tired look answered.

The boy yawned and rubbed his eyes, “Damian it’s like 6:30 am and its summer. There better be a goo-” The boy stopped talking and his eyes locked onto Marinette, who was still sitting on top of Damian, and he narrowed his eyes. “Damian, who’s this?”

Marinette awkwardly waved and Damian snatched the phone away, “Kent, if you tell anyone I’ll-”

“Oh my god.” Jon’s smile grew, “It’s late, it’s dark, and you’re with a girl! DAMIAN YOU ACTUALLY FOUND A GIRLFRIEND?”

Damian groaned and glared at the boy in the phone, “Say it louder why don’t you! You’ll wake up the entire city!” Damian was silently praying to whatever god he didn’t wake anyone. Jon decided to stay with the Titans while Damian was on the ship and Damian was grateful, but now he just wanted to wring the boy’s neck. “Now please don’t-”

Jon was already up and running through the tower, “Hold on! I’m hooking you up to the big screen!”

Damian sat up, nearly throwing Marinette off by accident, “You wouldn’t dare.” Suddenly the point of view changed from him looking at a phone to him looking up while a large living room came into view. Jon ran away, undoubtedly waking the others, “I’m hanging up.”

“Wait no! I wanna meet your friends!” Damian gave Marinette a pained look before giving in.

“Fine, but get up for a second so I can turn on the lights.” She quickly moved off and noticed a few people coming into view, “Oh! Hi!” The lights turned on, making her flinch as her eyes adjusted, and she smiled sheepishly at the other kids. “Damian’s told me about you guys. I wanted to meet his friends.”

She realized these kids weren’t normal, but then again neither was she. She figured they were probably other heroes and realized she was meeting his ‘team’. Damian sat back down on the couch and without thinking she took her place back on his lap to make sure they were both in the shot. Everyone looked stunned before the green one finally spoke up, “No way. Deep fake.”

Marinette tilted her head, confused, before turning to Damian, “Deep fake?”

“He doesn’t think you’re real.” He gently took the phone out of her hands, “Hey, Beast Boy, please tell me you haven’t made too much of a mess.”

“He said please, completely fake.”

Soon a woman with fire red hair entered the room, “What’s going on?” She looked up at the screen, “Oh! Damian?”

“That’s Kory, by the way.”

Marinette’s eyes lit up and she turned her attention to Kory, “Dick’s told me so much about you! You’re even prettier than I imagined!”

Kory looked confused but flattered. “I’m sorry, who are you?”

Jon smirked, “This is Damian’s girlfriend.”

The room stood still for a few seconds before everyone went up in arms. Damian groaned and pinched his nose before shouting, “Enough!” The team stopped and Damian gestured to the girl, “This is Marinette.”

Jaime narrowed his eyes at her, “I don’t trust this. Why the hell is she with you?”

Marinette made a face, “Why wouldn’t I be?”

Raven shook her head, “She’s real, but I have to admit I was not expecting this.”

“No way! What the hell? You leave for like two weeks and when you finally decide to call you have a cute girl with you!” Garfield narrowed his eyes, “Why are you both in your pajamas?”

“Because it’s 12:30 am around here.”

Jon wiggled his eyebrows, “Why are you alone with a girl late at night? In a dark room no less.”

Marinette lit up bright red while Damian groaned, “I didn’t mean to call, idiot. I was showing her some old photos-”

“You keep photos of me? Aw, Damian, I knew you cared!”

Damian growled and felt his blood pressure spike, “Jon I swear-”

Marinette grabbed the phone back, “Hey what are your names? I know you’re Kory and you’re Jon, but what about the rest of you?”

“Jaime.”

“Raven.”

“Garfield.”

“Victor.” The team turned and Marinette watched a half robot half-human came into view, “I was wondering what the commotion was about.” Marinette didn’t react, but her eyes were trained on Victor. He rubbed the back of his neck, “If it’s too jarring-”

“You’re incredible! How does that even work? How do you function? Can you still eat? What do you do in the rain? Can you even be in the rain?” Marinette’s eyes lit up as she quickly rambled on more and more questions. Victor felt a wave of relief and chuckled when Damian grabbed the phone away from her. “Hey!”

“Sorry, she gets excited easily.”

Marinette pouted, “Come on, he’s half robot! How am I not supposed to be excited for that?!”

Jamie laughed, “She’s not what I expected you’d go for, but it works.”

“I know right!” Jon turned his attention back to Damian, “I’m assuming she knows-”

“She knows.”

“You actually told someone!” Garfield pinched himself, “Nope not a dream. Just really, really weird morning.”

Damian sighed and Marinette snorted, “Your friends are funny.”

Damian looked over at her and smiled, tired but happy to see her so excited. “Oh my god, he feels.”

“Why does everyone say that!?” Damian glared at Jon, “When I get back I’m going to-”

“So you are coming back! Marvelous!” Kory flew up to the camera and smiled, “We were worried there for a bit. You never contacted any of us after you left. We were starting to wonder if you left us.”

Damian’s lips pressed into a fine line, but before he could answer Marinette asked, “Is he a good hero?” Everyone looked surprised by the question and she shrugged, “I don’t know a lot about America’s heroes and if I asked him, he’d just inflate his own ego.”

“I would not!”

Her face deadpanned, “Yes you would.”

“I am the best Robin there is.”

“You literally just said your brothers-”

“I refuse to let that comment leave this room.”

She rolled her eyes, “You’re impossible.”

“You’re too excitable.”

“Rather be excitable than grumpy all the time.”

“I am not grumpy!”

“A-hem!” The two turned their attention back to the phone and noticed everyone watching them with an expression that was a mix of amusement and disbelief. Jon chuckled, “I’ve never seen anyone else argue with him. I’m the only one who can usually get away with doing that.”

Damian frowned, “Only because I can’t wring your neck when you get too annoying.”

“What’s stopping you from wringing her’s?” When Damian didn’t answer him, Jon’s smug smile only grew. “I’m telling my mom.”

“You are not telling Lois! It’s bad enough all of you met her!”

“Lois? Didn’t you and Tim mention her once?”

Damian nodded, “Yeah, but I’m surprised you remember that. You were knocked out in the arcade machine when Tim mentioned her.”

“Not my fault none of you know how to whisper.”

Jon chuckled and turned to the team, “I can’t believe this. He actually found a girlfriend.”

Kory clapped her hands together, “We should celebrate when he gets back!”

“No! No celebration! She’s never going to the tower!”

“Why not?”

Damian turned to Marinette, “Because you’ll be back in Paris and I’ll be in Jump City.”

Marinette blinked and sighed, “Oh yeah, right.”

“Great now you upset her!” Jamie stepped up, “Hey, sweetheart, if you ever need a shoulder to cry on-”

“Don’t even think about it, Reyes.”

Raven sighed, “You’re all idiots.” Everyone turned to the girl who rolled her eyes, “Yes, this is exciting. Still, what if someone notices a normal girl coming into the tower and hanging out with us? With Robin? You all realize she’d be a target in a heartbeat.” The room fell silent and Marinette turned to Damian, only to notice his expression hardened. “Either we go to her as discreetly as possible or it’s not going to happen at all.” Raven turned her attention to the couple on screen, “If I were you Marinette I wouldn’t get too attached. You guys make a good match, but you just knowing our real names is going to get you into serious trouble if we aren’t careful. You don’t want to be sucked into this.”

Garfield frowned, “Raven, harsh.” He turned his attention to the screen and noticed the two thinking about what she said.

Jon tried to sound reassuring, “Hey! We can figure it out! I mean, I can tell you’ve been good for Damian.” That brought Marinette’s attention back to the boy and he smiled, “Yeah. When he left he was like a walking shell. Just talking to him now, I can tell he’s back to his old self and looks like he’s thriving over there. I can only guess it’s because of you.” Damian turned his attention back to his best friend and Jon sighed, “Look, Raven’s right. It could be dangerous, but it’s not unheard of! I mean, look at my parents! One’s a civilian!” He smiled encouragingly at the couple, “Damian, she’s good for you. I can tell. Marinette?”

She blinked and forced herself to respond, “Yes?”

“Do you want to stay with our little hot head over there? I know he’s a handful, but he’s worth it!”

Before Damian could say anything Marinette let out a firm, “Yes.”

Jon smiled, “Then I think you’ll be okay. If anything comes up, we’ll figure it out. We’re friends now too.” The group nodded and he waved, “You guys will be fine. Anyway, it’s getting late for you guys over there. Sleep. Think about it. Damian, check-in more often. We worry.” Damian gave a small nod, still reeling over the girl’s answer, and Jon nodded back. “Goodnight you guys.” The screen went black after Jon hung up and the two sat there in silence for a bit.

Damian spoke up first, “You meant that?”

Marinette gulped and nodded, “Yes.”

Damian thought for a moment and forced himself to ask, “Marinette, what are we?”

Marinette turned to face him, opening and closing her mouth, and answer struggling to come out before the door burst open. The two jumped and Marinette quickly left Damian’s lap as the two turned to the door. The captain stumbled in, seemingly unaware of the two teens inside the room. He stumbled to the bar and nearly fell over. The two teens shared a look of concern before walking up to him, “Captain Staller?” The captain didn’t respond and she turned him slowly to face her. She noted his glassy eyes and calm expression, “He sleepwalks?”

“I guess so.” Damian started to lead Captain Staller away from the bar and gently laid him down on the couch. The captain seemed to relax and fell right back to sleep on the cushions. Damian relaxed knowing that the captain was safe and asleep, “I think he’ll be okay now.” He turned back to Marinette who was staring at one of the bottles on the shelves, hugging herself and biting her lip. “Marinette?”

She jumped at the sound of his voice and turned to him, “What are we going to do?”

Damian’s brows furrowed, “What do you mean?”

“I’m a liability. You’re a liability. We’re liabilities to each other.” She shook her head, “I can’t go to Jump City because I could be used as leverage. You can’t come to Paris because you know who I am and if Hawkmoth akumatizes you we’ll have to fight.” Her nose turned pink and her eyes watered, “I didn’t even think about that, Damian. I have to think about these things. What was I thinking?” She ran her finger through her hair and started pacing, “I can’t believe I told you. I can’t believe I said that. I can’t believe I thought-”

“Thought what?”

She stopped and turned to him, “Damian, how would this work?”

Damian knew she knew he was worried about the same thing. He also knew she knew he didn’t want whatever this was to stop. “We don’t see each other as heroes. Just civilians.”

“That won’t matter if you get akumatized!” She sniffed and let out a shaky breath, “And you’re Damian Wayne! That alone is going to bring attention to me! Damian, I can’t let that happen! My advantage is that I’m a nobody! I can sneak away and no one suspects a thing! I can’t do that if there are cameramen waiting outside the bakery every day, waiting to get a picture of Damian Wayne’s girlfriend!”

Damian gulped, he agreed with her. He really wished he didn’t. So instead of arguing with some solid logic, he decided to do the next best thing. “My girlfriend, huh?”

She tensed up and shook her head, “I’m sorry, it slipped out and-”

“I thought we were already married.” She froze for a second, watching as he awkwardly stood there waiting for a reaction. She laughed, it started out small and full of disbelief and grew into a heartfelt laugh. Damian relaxed as she wiped her eyes, still laughing at his joke. “Marinette-”

“How is this going to work?” She sniffed and let out a small laugh, tears streaming down her face despite the smile on her face, “How will any of this work?”

Damian shrugged and ran his fingers through his hair, chuckling. “I don’t know.” He leaned against a table and felt himself be bombarded by the same emotions overwhelming Marinette. He sniffed and laughed, “I have no idea!” He wiped his nose on his sleeve and laughed more, “What is happening?”

“I don’t know!” She wiped her cheeks in vain and her body shook with another fit of laughter, “I don’t know!” She turned to Damian and ran to hug him, he immediately reciprocated this time and squeezed her. He picked her up and spun her around, making her laugh even more, before putting her down in the middle of the room. She sniffed, looking up at Damian, “Are we going crazy?”

“I have no idea.” Damian snorted, “I have no clue. This is out of my range of knowledge. None of this makes sense to me. You don’t make any sense to me!” He let out a shaky breath, “Every time I’m with you I feel out of character. I don’t know what I’m saying or doing half the time. It’s all impulse with you.” He sniffed and chuckled, “What the hell is wrong with us?”

Marinette thought for a moment, letting out a shaky breath of her own, “We’re teenagers, I don’t think we’re supposed to have all the answers.” She giggled, “Which is ironic because Ladybug is supposed to have all the answers.”

“And I’m supposed to know what to do in any situation. My training equipped me with the knowledge on how to deal with enemies of all kinds, superhuman or otherwise.” He laughed. “My training didn’t prepare me for you. I am an expert in martial arts, I can wield almost any kind of weapon, I’m a capable businessman, I have advanced engineering skills, I’m trained in forensics, acrobatics, criminology, disguise and escapology,” he paused and scoffed, “none of it prepared me for you.”

Marinette and Damian stood together, in the middle of the den, panting as they struggled to catch their breath from laughing, and just stared at each other. Marinette bit her lip, “I don’t know a lot about you.”

“That’s a good thing.”

“Will I ever know more about you?”

“Yes.”

Marinette sniffed and smiled at him before pulling him down. The kiss was awkward, neither really had any experience in any of this, but neither pulled away either. Despite the lack of skill, the two felt alive again. Every little cell felt electrified, any negative feels clouding their minds didn’t matter, and the world around them faded away the longer they stayed together.

“Well, I was wondering when you two would figure it out.” The two pulled away and looked at the couch to find Captain Staller stretching on the couch. He chuckled and scratched his beard, “Now, will either of you tell me why I’m here?”

Marinette hid her blushing face in her hands and Damian sighed before pulling away to help the man up, “You were sleep walking. You came in here and almost knocked over the alcohol at the bar.”

Staller looked confused, “I don’t sleepwalk.”

Damian shrugged, “Are you stressed?”

The captain thought for a moment before sighing, “My mood has taken a turn for the worse.”

Marinette turned to face the captain, worried expression on her face, “Anything we can do to help? We’re good listeners.”

Captain Staller smiled and shook his head, “No, you just continue to be yourself. I enjoy our visits. Although, I do think you would’ve fared better had I not interrupted tonight.”

Marinette’s eyes widened and her face flushed. Damian just rubbed the back of his neck before leading the captain outside. “Hey, you sure there isn’t anything my family could do?”

“Damian, you’re family has been nothing but good to me. If I ask for anything else, I’d be getting selfish.” The captain placed a hand on Damian’s shoulder, “You two were meant to cross paths, I can tell.” His voice got low as he held steady eye contact with the boy, “Don’t mess this up.”

Damian gulped and nodded, “I wouldn’t dare.”

“Good answer.” He patted Damian on the back and nodded at the couple in approval. “I’ll see you two soon. Goodnight.” The captain walked away and Damian closed the door, leaving the only two people in the room embarrassed.

Damian watched as Marinette grabbed a pillow and screamed into it before letting herself fall onto the couch. He walked over, confused, and she took the pillow off her face. She looked like she drank three cups of Tim’s expresso, vibrating with energy. “This is happening.”

“Yes.”

“We just kissed.”

“Uh-huh.”

“We know each other’s identities.”

“Marinette-”

“I’m dating Damian Wayne.” She sat up and threw the pillow at him, “Oh my god, I’m dating you. We’re dating. This is happening!” Damian caught the pillow easily and laughed at her, earning a short raspberry and a glare.

He sat down next to her, “Yes. Yes, it is.” He sighed and shook his head, “What the hell am I thinking?”

“You? What am I thinking? Tikki is going to be so mad-”

“Tikki?”

She bit her lip before sighing, “Tikki come out.” All of a sudden, a red blob flew around the room before stopping in front of his face. He blinked, wondering if he was hallucinating for a second as the being examined him. “Tikki, meet Damian. Damian, meet Tikki.”

“Hello?”

Tikki smiled softly at the boy before turning to Marinette, “This is against a lot of rules Marinette.”

She groaned, “I know.” She ran her fingers through her hair and sighed, “I trust him though.”

Tikki nodded before falling to rest on top of Marinette’s head. Damian just chuckled, “Honestly, not the weirdest thing I’ve ever come across.”

Marinette snorted, “That’s a new reaction.”

“I’m serious.” Damian smiled at Tikki, “When you live in Gotham and work under Batman you see a lot of stuff.”

Tikki flew around Damian’s head a few times before landing on his hair and nodding, “I approve of this one.”

Damian smiled, “That’s good right?”

Marinette closed her eyes and giggled, “Yes, yes it is.” She rubbed her eyes, “I’ve only known you for a little over a week and look at us.” She shook her head, “We’re crazy.”

“I mean we’re talking while a small red fairy thing watches over us. I’m pretty sure if we went to any hospital they’d say the same.”

Tikki giggled, “I like him.”

“I’m assuming you’re the reason Marinette orders so many sweets?”

“Smart too.” Tikki grinned at her chosen, “He’s a keeper.”

Marinette nodded, “I mean I’ll have to figure out a way erase your memory if I don’t.”

Damian raised an eyebrow at her, “Funny, I was thinking the same thing.” She nudged him and the two sighed, “Marinette?”

“Yeah?”

“How are we going to tell my brothers?”

Marinette’s eyes widened, “How are we going to tell Alya?” The two looked at each other, realizing the chaos they were about to unleash on this ship when they go public. Marinette groaned, “We’re going not going to live any of this down will we?”

“No, I don’t think so. Dick is a crazy romantic, Jason will tell everyone else in the family if Jon already hadn’t, and Tim will work with Alya to spread the news all over the internet.” He groaned and leaned back in the couch, let his head lull back, “Can we not tell them?”

“And risk death by reporter? No thank you. If Alya doesn’t kill me for hiding it, Chloe definitely will.” She giggled before leaning on him, head on his shoulder and arm draped around his torso. “But we don’t have to tell them right now.”

He wrapped his arm around her and relaxed, “No, I guess not.” He looked down at the girl who finally relaxed enough that she actually looked tired, “Hey you want to go to bed?”

“No.”

“Still a bad liar.”

“I didn’t say I didn’t want to sleep, I said I don’t want to go to bed.” She looked up at him, “I don’t want to leave.”

Damian groaned, “Don’t look at me like that.”

“Like what?”

“Puppy dog eyes. You’re the only person to successfully use that against me.” He groaned and hung his head before he looked around the room. “Hold on.” He got up, turned off the lights, grabbed a blanket from one of the cupboards from a counter and draped it over her. He sat back down, arms open for her to lay next to him if she chose, and he glared. “Damn you.” She snorted and snuggled up next to him, his arms wrapped around her torso and her head on his chest. He could feel himself relax with her weight and body heat against him. She threw the covers over him before yawning.

Tikki watched as the two teens fell asleep together on the couch. She giggled softly before nestling on a pillow nearby, out of view from anyone walking in the door. She looked at the couple one last time before closing her eyes and smiling. Marinette was healing, as far as she could tell so was Damian, and she couldn’t be happier.


	11. Scuttlebutt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Act 2 of Seabourne Burnouts

“I’m telling you, this is where he’s been this whole time.” Adrien looked back at Max and Markov and sent them a shrug. Alya just rolled her eyes as she peered around the corner. She relaxed and waved her hand, “Come on, coast clear.”

Max quietly followed his two friends and asked, “Alya, where exactly are we going?”

“Alya thinks Bruce Wayne is Batman and is trying to figure out why he was gone for such a long time.” Adrien looked back, a rare serious expression on his face, “I don’t think she’s wrong either. Something’s up with them.”

Markov flew up to Adrien and examined him, “Aren’t you friends? According to my data over the last 12 days, you all seemed close.”

Adrien smiled, “Oh, they’re the best. Dick, Jason, and Tim are awesome to hang out with and Damian is treating Marinette really well!”

Max blinked, surprised, “Are they together?”

“If they aren’t by the end of this trip, I’m going to have Ladybug lock them up together like she did with me and Nino.” Alya sent back a coy smirk before peering around the next corner and pointing, “That room should be the one.”

“And how do we know Bruce isn’t in there right now?”

Alya held up her phone, “I got Nino sending me updates while he hangs with the bros.”

Adrien grinned, “Hanging with ‘the bros’? Alya, we’re finally rubbing off on you.”

Alya blinked a few times before glaring at the model. Max and Markov just laughed quietly as they made their way to the door. Alya jiggled it a few times, “Locked.”

“Now what, oh great detective?”

“May I?” Alya motioned for Markov to proceed with whatever plan he has cooked up in his digital brain and Max was just surprised to see his little friend take the lead. Markov brought out something similar to a Swiss Army knife, different tools all on display as he analyzed the lock. He put all but two tools away and began working on the lock. Alya looked back at Max and smiled, “So he can pick locks now?”

Max shrugged, “He likes learning new things. Comes in handy when I forget my house keys.” Adrien chuckled and shook his head as he watched the little robot work. Suddenly there was a click and the door cracked open. Markov pulled back and looked pleased with himself.

Adrien held out a fist, “Nice job!” The little robot was happy to bump fists as the four walked inside the room. Alya closed the door behind them and turned on the light. “Oh, this isn’t suspicious.” Adrien looked around the room and noted a few things, there were some office chairs and a large circular table. All pretty standard until you took into account the large supercomputer taking up the farthest wall away from the door.

Max immediately ran over to the computer and whistled, “This is incredible. How do you even get this on a boat?”

“More importantly, why does he need this on a boat?” Alya took a few pictures before pressing the space key. The monitor lit up and everyone stared at the line requiring a password. Alya scowled, “Markov, Max, you think you could help?”

Max and Markov looked at each other before Markov plugged himself into the computer and Max pulled up a chair. “Give us a few minutes.” Alya smiled and gave them both a quick hug and pecks on the cheek and display monitor, surprising the two for a second before they returned to work.

“You guys are the best.”

“Hey, Alya?” Alya turned back to Adrien who held up a stuffed folder from a nearby drawer. Alya walked over and Adrien opened the file. The two looked through the photos of Paris’s resident heroes as well as very detailed reports of different Akuma attacks.

“Hey, that’s Rena Rouge. Carapace and Queen Bee too.” Adrien set the file on the table and Alya began looking through the photos. “Queen Bee and-“ her breath hitched and Adrien peered over her shoulder to look at the photo. He was shocked to see the photo of the core five fighting against Hawkmoth on the Eifel Tower.

“This is from Heroes Day.”

“Look there.” Alya point behind Hawkmoth, “Isn’t that the first Amok?”

“Yeah, it is.” Adrien looked through the reports and found details such as first sightings, hair color, eye color, appeared race and ethnicity, appeared age range, and much more. He found details on their powers and fighting styles. On almost all of them, he found the same line of text. “Appears to be a novice in both fighting styles and control of power. May be children.” 

Adrien looked over his and Ladybug’s reports, “Two most seasoned out of the heroes. Always active. Patrol frequently. Appear to be close, but no romantic relationship noted besides light banter from Cat Noir. Most likely in early adolescence when beginning hero work. Do not appear to know each other’s identities.” He bit his lip at the different photos of him and his teammates.

Alya furrowed her eyebrows, “How did they get these? Some of these aren’t even on the Ladyblog.” Adrien licked his lips and ran his fingers through his hair. The two felt their anxiety spike the more information they uncovered in the documents. “Who are they?”

Adrien turned his attention to some pictures of Pegasus, Viperion, and King Monkey along with a few other rare heroes. “These are heroes Ladybug rarely uses. I mean, they have to be if you don’t recognize them.” Alya took some photos of the files on her phone and Adrien felt his heart racing, “How did-“

“We’re in.” The two quickly turned to Max and Markov and watched the monitor blew up in different windows, all displaying different videos and reports. “What is all of this?”

Adrien gathered all the files together and held them under his arm as he walked over to the computer. He looked at all the windows before pointing at one of them, “Expand that one.” Max clicked on the window and it showed the image of a hallway, “Press play.”

They were shocked to watch footage of the raid, men storming the halls and causing mayhem. Alya paused it and minimized the window before clicking on a different one. She pressed the play button and watched as Damian and Marinette narrowly escaped some of the raiders passing through a hallway. Adrien gulped audibly, not realizing how close of a call it was for his two friends. Alya minimized the window and clicked on one more window. She found herself looking at her own blog.

Adrien shook his head and licked his lips, “Alya-“

“This is it.” Alya let out a nervous laugh, “This is it. This is the evidence I’ve been looking for.”

Markov shook his head, “We’ll need something more substantial than this if you are going to accuse a man of being a famous vigilante.”

Adrien grabbed the mouse, “What’s this one?” He expanded the window and they all found themselves looking at an image of the raiders in cells. He hesitantly pushed play and they watched as the raiders disappeared in a black and purple haze, leaving behind two boys. One was injured in his leg and police suddenly stormed the cell.

“Adrien, that’s-”

“What’s going on here?” The four all turned to the doorway and found a very stern looking Bruce standing in the doorway, arms crossed. While he didn’t yell, nor did he make a move towards them, the four flinched.

Alya looked at her phone, realizing it was on ‘Do Not Disturb’ and completely missing all of Nino’s messages. She gulped and stepped up first, “Why didn’t you tell us the raiders were Akumas?”

Bruce blinked and uncrossed his arms, “What?”

“The raiders.” Alya turned back to the computer to rewind the video and played back the moment they disappeared. She paused it when the black and purple haze covered the screen and then brought back up her Ladyblog. She pulled up a video of a former Akuma and forwarded the video to the part where Ladybug captured the Akuma. The monster was covered in a purple and black haze before being turned back to normal. She pulled up the two videos side by side and pressed play on both windows. The room fell silent as they realized the haze was the exact same in both videos. Bruce walked up to the monitor and replayed both clips a few times as if to make sure what he was seeing was real.

Bruce turned to the kids, “One, you are all in big trouble. You are not allowed in this area and you clearly broke in as this door is always locked.” The kids all looked at each other nervously before turning their attention back to Bruce. He sighed, “Two, you are all going to help me in my investigation.”

The group blinked before Adrien shook his head, “What?”

“I thought this was a computer glitch, but clearly this is out of my depth of knowledge. I don’t know much about what’s going on in Paris, but you three clearly do.” He pointed at Alya, “Especially you.”

Alya gulped and nodded. She bit her lip before finally asking meekly, “So it’s true?” Bruce didn’t say anything, instead turning his attention back to the monitor. Alya smiled and laughed quietly, “Oh, Tim owes me so much.”

Bruce sighed, “Yes. Yes, he does.” He turned to the four and then locked his attention to Alya, “No one can know. I know you are a reporter and this is asking to go against everything you stand for, but no one can know.”

Alya held up her hands in surrender and shook her head, “No way. Gotham is crazy dangerous. This evidence is to prove to Tim and to myself that I am a good reporter and investigator. None of this information is leaving this ship.” She smiled and giggled, “Besides, when Marinette and Damian get married, I don’t want to have you glaring at me from across the room during the wedding.”

Bruce cracked a smile before he returned to a stoic expression, “That goes for you two boys as well.”

Adrien placed a hand on Max’s shoulder and gave it a small squeeze, “Bruce, we would never.” He sighed and his expression was grim, “Over the past few years, we’ve all accumulated secrets. One’s we’ll take to the grave.”

Bruce blinked, this boy has done nothing but smile and look at the bright side of things whenever they’ve interacted. To see him so serious and so tired made him feel an even greater sense of urgency to figure out what was going on in Paris. Bruce moved to log off of the computer before Alya grabbed his arm, “Wait!” She moved one of the windows up to the center of the screen and they realized it was a live feed of one of the security cameras. She narrowed her eyes, “Is that-”

Bruce watched in disbelief along with the other kids in the room as his youngest and the girl of honor walked together down the halls, unusually close and attention solely on each other. “You know when Dick told me they were close, I didn’t think they were that close.”

“They’re close, but something’s different.” She hesitated turning on the sound, but ultimately rose the volume.

“-e’s not picking up.” Marinette groaned, “I just want to get this over with.”

“Considering we can’t find my brothers either, they’re probably all hanging out together.” He rubbed his neck and flinched.

Marinette looked him over and frowned, “I’m sorry, we should’ve-”

“Don’t apologize.” Damian rolled his head and smiled at her, “It was nice.” She returned the smile and the two leaned into each other.

A quick kiss between the two and Alya screeched, “SHE DIDN’T TELL ME!”

All the males in the room flinched and Markov just flittered around happily, “How sweet!”

Bruce turned to Adrien who just shrugged and stepped slowly away from the panting reporter, “Alya, she just said she was looking for us. She’s probably looking for us to tell us.”

Alya snarled, “NO! We have a code! If she were to ever get a boyfriend she needs to text me ‘Code Pink’ and I was supposed to march over and interrogate the guy. That’s been our plan since she was still crushing on you!”

Max pointed at her phone, “Did you check your messages?”

“Of course I-” She stopped and then frantically looked through her phone. Sure enough, a message from Marinette reading ‘Code Pink. Please don’t freak out too bad!’ She took a deep breath and nodded, “Okay. Okay, I missed the message. I won’t kill them.” She turned to Bruce and wagged her finger in his face, “Me and you are discussing this later, Bats. Right now, I’ve got to have a few words with your son.” She ran out of the room and the remaining three uttered apologizes before chasing after her.

He paused before he felt his phone vibrate and he answered the call, “Yes.”

Dick chuckled, “Nino was following you because of Alya. Jason and Tim are distracting him with some rhythm games in the arcade now. What was Alya doing?”

Bruce sighed, “Tell Tim he owes her an apology and some praise.”

Dick went silent for a few moments before scoffing, “You’re kidding.”

“I wish. First Tim figures me out and now a bunch of French teenagers? This is getting ridiculous.”

“Not your fault she’s just as stubborn as Tim.” Dick sighed, “So what now?”

“Right now, you’ll want to go look for Damian. He was last seen on the floor above you roaming through the halls.”

Dick sounded confused, “Why?”

“Alya may kill him.”

“Do I want to know why?”

“Let’s just say we saw something very interesting on the camera feed.” Dick didn’t respond and Bruce rolled his eyes, “Trust me, you’ll want to see this.”

Dick groaned and nodded, “Okay. Okay. Sure. We’ll talk later.” Dick turned back to his brothers and Nino playing a few games. He walked over and motioned for them to come follow him, “Come on, we got to go save Damian.”

Tim’s eyebrows furrowed, “What? Why?”

“Apparently Alya’s going to kill him.”

Nino blinked and pulled away from the game, “Why?”

“Don’t know, but Bruce said we wouldn’t want to miss this.” Jason shrugged and the three followed Dick as he led them upstairs. As they walked through the halls they could hear Alya yelling.

Nino made a face before running in front of the group, following her voice until he found Adrien and Max standing in between Alya, Damian, and Marinette. Nino could tell she wasn’t really angry, but she was feeling something intense. “Alya?”

Alya turned to the four and then made a grand gesture to Damian and Marinette, “Can you believe these two? Unbelievable! You are so lucky Chloe wasn’t with me otherwise we’d kick your-”

“As much as I love seeing Damian being yelled at, what is going on?” Jason’s voice cut through the commotion and the two teens in question flinched. The three brothers were slightly unnerved, Damian rarely flinched. Marinette poked her head out from behind Damian and waved nervously, “Marinette?”

“Um, well-” She looked to Damian for help and then suddenly pushed him forward, “You tell them. They’re your brothers.”

Damian glared at her before turning to his brothers and rubbing the back of his neck. “It would seem that our relationship has evolved.” His cheeks seemed to get the slightest hint of pink and Tim was the first to break the silence.

“No way, you actually did it? You actually got yourself a girlfriend?” The three brothers looked at each other before grinning and lunging at their brother.

Jason got Damian in a headlock and started messing with his hair, “We’re so proud of you! Seriously, who knew you had a heart!”

Damian growled and pulled out the headlock only to be jumped by Dick, “You’re growing up! You finally found love!”

Before Damian could say anything back Tim grabbed his shoulders and looked him dead in the eyes, “You are Damian, right? Not some weird clone Talia made?”

“IF YOU DON’T LET GO I WILL KILL ALL OF YOU!” Damian thrashed around in their grips and got nowhere as they continued to tease him until Dick felt a tap on his shoulder.

Dick turned to a very concerned looking Marinette, “I would prefer he’s in one piece, please.”

She lit up bright red when Dick picked her up with almost no effort, “You’re magic you know that!”

She sent Damian a look of uncertainty and laughed nervously, “Um, I also met Kory. She’s really nice!” The three brothers froze and Damian took the chance to get out of their grips. He walked over and helped Marinette down from Dick’s hold and pulled her closer to him. She gulped, “Did I say something wrong?”

Tim narrowed his eyes at Damian, “Who else did she meet?”

“She met the team.”

“So-”

“She knows.”

Before either Jason or Tim could say anything Dick spoke up, “Apparently she’s not the only one who knows.” Dick motioned to Alya and she stood, hands on her hips, proud and smirking at Tim.

Tim’s eyes widened, “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Nino looked between the groups and smiled at Alya, “Dude! You were right!”

Marinette and Damian snapped their heads to Alya, “Right about Bruce?”

Alya nodded and high fived Nino as he ran over, “Heck yeah!” She nudged Max and Adrien, “These two helped me.”

“Max?” Marinette looked apologetic, “Oh, Max I’m sorry you got roped into this.”

“Honestly, this is going to be the highlight of this whole vacation. I mean, I’m helping the great big bat with an Akuma investigation!”

Damian narrowed his eyes at the boy, “What investigation?”

Alya and Adrien looked between each other before Adrien stepped up, “Marinette, the raiders that night were Akumas. We saw the police footage, they disappear exactly the same way Akumas do after Ladybug releases the butterfly.” He could tell gears were beginning to turn in her head, “Marinette-”

Marinette shook her head, “No. No way.” She began pacing, “No, no, no, no.” Damian knew the reason why but everyone else seemed concerned for the girl. She suddenly turned to Tim, “Hey, did you send the list of all French passengers on the ship?”

Tim blinked and looked at his phone, “I thought Damian asked me for that.”

“We both did. Did you do it or not, Drake?” Damian walked over and looked Marinette in the eyes, a conversation passing between them as she bit her thumb’s nail. He sighed and turned back to his brothers, “Drake?”

“Sent.” A notification went off on both of their phones and they began walking off. “Hey-”

“Tell Father, we’re doing a bit of our own investigation. For now, the rest of you inform Chloe and start looking through all the files.”

Adrien ran up and grabbed Marinette arm, “Marinette, later we’ll have to talk.”

“Adrien-”

His voice got low and he whispered, “Princess, we have to talk.”

Marinette froze for a second before finally nodding, “I’ll text you later tonight.” She turned back to Damian and the two continued walking down the hallway, leaving behind a very concerned and confused friend group.

Damian looked over at Marinette’s stern expression and sighed, “This doesn’t prove anything.”

“Damian, you and I both know we were out in the water when that happened. There’s no way that’s a rouge Akuma. He’s on the ship.” Damian’s lips pressed into a hard line as Marinette walked to the nearest dining area. She sat herself down at the nearly empty bar and began looking through the files.

Damian sat next to her, looked around the room for anyone who could possibly be listening in, then looked through his phone. “That doesn’t mean he knows.”

“Why else would he-”

“A very rich man and his sons are on a ship worth hundreds of millions of dollars. An attack here could prove valuable to anyone with the right motive.”

“But he’s has never wanted money. He’s looking for me, he has to be!”

“Will you two quiet down?” The two turned their attention to the redhead at the bar sitting on the other end. The redhead looked up at the couple and glared, “Have you no mercy for those suffering hangovers?”

“It’s Thursday. Why the hell were you drinking so much on a Wednesday?”

She frowned and turned to the two, heavy Irish accent dripping with every word, “Because I’m pretty sure my boyfriend is cheating on me!” She let her head drop back down onto the bar’s counter as she groaned. Marinette and Damian looked at each other and, despite Damian shaking his head and aggressively mouthing the word ‘No’, Marinette walked over and rubbed the woman’s back.

“I’m sorry. That must hurt so much.”

The lady sniffed and turned her head to face Marinette. She paused before raising her head, “I know you.”

Marinette rolled her eyes, “I know. I’m the one that wrote the essay.”

“No, no. I know you.” The woman stared Marinette down as Marinette stepped back a few steps and Damian stood next to her. “I was the one who moved you into your room.”

Marinette blinked and tilted her head in confusion, “But I don’t remember your-”

“My accent? Yeah, the manager doesn’t like it. Told me to speak like a true American or I would be demoted.” She shook her head and scoffed, “Such an ass.”

Damian frowned, “Oh really, what manager is that?”

She snorted, “Manager of residential life. He looks over everything involving passengers who are staying on the boat for extended periods of time.” She shook her head, “He doesn’t even do his job either. I did most of the work for you and your class.”

Marinette frowned and gave her shoulder a small squeeze, “If it makes you feel better, I prefer this accent. Sounds real and it’s a lot more memorable.”

The woman smiled at Marinette and held out her hand, “Name’s Tess. From Limerick.”

Marinette shook her hand eagerly, “Marinette, from Paris.”

Damian sent a few texts and held out his hand, “Damian, Gotham.”

The lady shook it and laughed, “You know you look like Bruce’s runt.”

Damian glared at Tess and sternly said, “I’m not a runt.”

Tess waved her hand as she looked at the empty glass in her hand, “Yeah. Yeah. Do you know how to make drinks kid?” Marinette covered her mouth to keep from laughing while Damian begrudgingly took the glass and made his way behind the bar. Tess smiled, “Now that’s a good man!” She turned to Marinette wiggled her eyebrows, “Lucky lass, aren’t you?”

Marinette blushed and nodded, “I guess I am.” The two laughed and Damian set down the new drink in front of Tess.

Tess held up the glass and glared, “This is water.”

“I’m fifteen, lady. What did you expect?” He smirked, “Besides you need to sober up.”

Tess glared at the boy before reluctantly sipping her water, “Smart kid.” She turned back to Marinette, “So what were you two talking about? You got a stalker or something?”

Marinette sighed, “In a way.”

Tess held a look of pity, “Oh sweetheart, I’m sorry.” She turned to Damian and waved her hand, “And what the hell are you still doing here? Shouldn’t you be fighting for her honor or something?”

Damian rolled his eyes, “We don’t even know if he’s on the boat.”

“He has to be!” Marinette stared at her lap as she played with the hem of her shirt, “I mean-”

Tess held her shoulders and turned Marinette to look her in the eye, “Women have great intuition when it comes to these things. If you feel unsafe, you probably are.” Tess smiled sadly at the girl in front of her and gave her cheek a few pats, “Oh you’re so pretty. That must be hard.”

Marinette smiled, “Not really! I mean, I’ve only ever been attacked a few times-”

Both Tess and Damian snapped their heads to look at her and asked, “Wait, what? By who?”

Marinette pursed her lips together in a line, “A few people. All because of-“ She gulped as she worded her next line carefully, “- all because of the guy. He wants something from me, but I won’t give it to him. I never will.”

Tess bit her lip and looked at her glass, “I’m sorry you’re going through this.” She stared at her glass for a moment before chugging it down and slamming the glass onto the counter, catching the attention of everyone in the room when it shattered. She just blinked a few times and then looked at her bleeding hand, “Aw, crap.”

Marinette jumped off her chair, her words coming out incoherent and panicked, and left to grab a cloth napkin while Damian took her hand. He looked for any large shards that may be making the bleeding worse. He cursed under his breath and scolded her, “What were thinking? I know you’re hungover, but are you really that far gone that you forgot glass breaks?” He shook his head, “There aren’t any big pieces or anything, but you cut yourself bad. Go to the nurse or something.” Marinette came running back with a clean cloth and started carefully wrapping Tess’s hand.

Marinette shook her head, “What on earth was going through your head? This is glass! You could’ve seriously hurt yourself!”

Tess looked between the two before beginning to laugh. Marinette finished wrapping her hand and looked over to Damian for answers. He shrugged and they waited for her to calm down. She waved her hand between the two of them, “You two!” She wiped a tear from her eyes, “Did you guys rehearse that?” She sniffed and sighed, “Oh, Lord, I haven’t laughed like that for weeks.”

The two teens frowned at that statement and Marinette placed a hand on Tess’s shoulder, “Anything we can do?”

“Hey, don’t worry about me. I’m worried about you.” She smiled, “If he’s on this ship, I’ll know. I’ve taken care of all the European passengers on this ship. If you have anyone you want to look into, call me.”

Damian looked surprised before leaning over the counter, careful to avoid the shattered glass, “Do you know if any older male passengers boarded the ship when Marinette and her class did?”

Tess thought for a second and snapped her fingers, “Yes, but he’s American. He was on a business trip.” Damian frowned and started to clean off the counter before Tess hummed, “Does it have to be right when you boarded?”

Marinette shook her head, “No, I guess not.”

“There was a couple who got onto the ship a few days before you did when we were at a different port.” She paused for a moment to think, “He looked very professional and I couldn’t tell if the woman was his lover or his secretary. Probably both.” She looked at Marinette concerned, “Wait, your stalker is an older fella? What kind of pedophile-“

“Marinette?” Damian watched as she pondered over the new information and her eyes darted around along with the thoughts in her head.

Marinette’s eyes widened and she mumbled, “Mayura.”

“Hm?”

Marinette shook her head, “Nothing. Where are they now?”

Tess thought before groaning, “I need my clipboard to tell you that.”

Damian looked at Tess, “You know you could get into serious trouble for this. This is a breach of privacy.”

Tess glared at Damian, “Are you really going to tell me you’re going to tell my manager for helping your girlfriend?”

Damian smirked, “No. I just wanted to make sure you knew what you were doing.” Damian looked at his phone and looked back up at Tess, “As far as I’m concerned you are in need of a promotion and a raise for helping us out.”

Tess rolled her eyes, “Oh yeah, like that’s going to happen.” She looked at her wrapped hand and frowned, “I need to go to the nurse first.”

Marinette smiled, “You want us to come along?”

“No, Marinette, you stay with your man. I’ll come find you later tonight. You’ll be in your room around 6, right?”

“We can be.”

“I’ll see you then.”

Damian spoke up, “Can you tell us the names of the couple?”

Tess turned back to the boy and hummed, “I think the last name started with an A. I’ll have to check.”

Damian shook his head, “No need. We’ll see you tonight.” Tess nodded and headed out of the room, leaving the two teens at the bar. Damian scrolled through the list Tim sent him, “The only A names are Aaron, Azreth, and Agreste. Unless Adrien is Hawkmoth, I say we check out the other two.”

Marinette shook her head, “No, I know for a fact he isn’t.” She sat back down and let her head fall onto the counter, a small smack could be her from where her head made contact. Damian poked her and she turned her head, “What?”

“You okay there?”

“No.”

“At least you’re honest.” Damian handed Marinette a glass of water and she smiled. He leaned against the counter and scowled, “When you talked about Hawkmoth with Tess just now, the way you worded your situation-“

“What about it? I couldn’t exactly tell her I’m being chased by a supervillain.”

Damian shook his head, “No, it just didn’t sit well with me. Even worse than the actual situation sits with me. You make it sound like a creepy old man is trying to force you to sleep with him.”

She shuttered, “Oh god, no. If that ever happens, my mom would murder the man.”

“I’ll help her. I’m trained to do so anyway.” She glared at Damian, but he kept a serious expression. “I’m serious. He’s forcing people to do things they don’t want to do. They don’t remember any of what happened. And all of it is because he’s trying to take care of his own needs.”

Marinette scrunched up her nose and scowled, “When you put it that way, yes he sounds like a monster.”

“He is a monster.”

“But even worse.” She sighed and looked around the room, “You know when I got on this boat I took comfort in the fact that Hawkmoth’s Akumas wouldn’t get to me. Now I don’t even have that anymore.”

Damian grabbed Marinette’s hand and rubbed the top of her hand with his thumb. He leaned in close and whispered, “We’ll figure this out. You got Robin on your side, which means Batman and the rest are soon to follow.”

She smiled and poked him, “Ah yes, the son of the dark knight. How could I forget?” She giggled, “So I’m assuming your brothers are also-“

“Yes.”

“Of course.” She shook her head and giggled, “That makes total sense.”

“What about your friends? Are any of them miraculous holders? I know Chloe’s Queen Bee but-“

“I actually can’t answer that. At least not right now. Me telling you about Ladybug is one thing, but if anyone else on this boat is a miraculous holder I can’t say.”

“You know about my family.”

“Yeah, but I doubt you would’ve told me about the rest of them. Alya found you guys out.” Damian didn’t say anything to argue with the statement, only proving Marinette’s point. Marinette took a few sips of her water, “We should investigate tonight.”

“Okay. Tess at 6, leave by 6:30. We’ll have to research their routines first though to see if they leave their rooms at all. We can use the main computer downstairs to look at the security footage.”

“We should split up. It’s easier to sneak around on your own than it is with two people.”

Damian shook his head, “No way. I’m going with you.”

“No, we need to figure this out as soon as possible. It’d be easier to just look through both rooms tonight separately than searching through the rooms together over the course of two days.” Damian still looked hesitant and she smiled at him, “I’ll be-“

“DUPAIN-CHENG!” The two turned to see Chloe fuming at the entranceway and the couple tensed. She stomped over and wagged her finger in Marinette’s face, “How many times do I have to tell you, YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO TELL ME IN PERSON IF ANYTHING BIG HAPPENS!” She pointed at Damian behind the bar, “So why on earth do I have to hear from Alya that you started DATING DAMIAN WAYNE?” Marinette seemed to shrink the louder Chloe got and she smiled shamefully. Chloe looked between the two and groaned, fixing her ponytail and taking a few breaths. “I’m very happy for you, but I feel left out.”

Marinette sighed and hugged Chloe, “Sorry, we just had something urgent to take care of.”

Chloe lowered her voice and pointed at Damian, “You mean regarding the fact that your boyfriend’s dad dresses like nocturnal furry?”

Damian choked and glared at the blonde, “One, will you keep it down? I know there are only like four people in here but you catch people’s attention. Two, he does not!” Marinette giggled, earning a glare before he turned back to Chloe. “Alya told us the raid was caused by an Akuma.”

Chloe paused for a moment before biting her lip, “Well, that’s not good.” She thought for a moment and looked between the two, “So he may be on the ship?”

“It’s a theory.”

“If you need me for anything, I’ll do what I can. I’ll keep track of the gossip on the ship and see if any stories seem suspicious. I’ve gotten close with a few of the crew members since we got on the ship.”

Damian blinked, “You and the servants? Who knew?”

Chloe glared, “Just because you’re a Wayne doesn’t make you untouchable, Damian.” Damian rolled his eyes at the hollow threat and she turned back to Marinette, “Stay away from Lila.”

“Lila?”

“She gets under your skin. I don’t want to have to face you as an Akuma.” Marinette nodded and Chloe pulled away from the two, “I’ll let you know if I hear anything.” She waved and left the room, leaving the couple in silence as they imagined how bad an akumatized Marinette could be.

Damian shuttered, “You’d kick ass as an Akuma, but I’d rather not fight you.”

Marinette smiled and shook her head, “I almost was akumatized a few times. The closest call I had was when I was about to take off my earrings. I snapped out of it right before that happened. After that, I started to just push down everything. If what I felt could lead to loosing Ladybug, then I’d rather not feel at all.”

Damian left the bar and walked over to Marinette’s side, “You know that isn’t healthy.”

“Doesn’t matter, I can’t afford to lose.” He grabbed her hand and she looked up at him with a soft smile on her face, “We should go and look over the security footage. We need to prepare for tonight.” He nodded and started leading her through the hallways and stairwells to a room where Bruce stood over a large computer. Marinette knocked on the doorframe and Bruce turned to look at the couple. He smiled at the two and straightened himself out.

“Well, well, look at the two love-”

“Don’t.” Damian walked over to the computer, pushing past Bruce and clicking on various windows on the monitor.

Marinette shook her head and walked over to Bruce, “How are you? We haven’t seen you in a while.”

Bruce smiled, “I’m fine. Tired. I’ve been looking over the footage for over a week and Alya figured it out after watching it once.” He rubbed his eyes, “I’m losing my touch.”

“It would seem so, Father. Time to retire?” Bruce glared at Damian, who just smirked to himself as he pulled up a few pieces of footage and the Ladyblog. Marinette hit his shoulder lightly, trying not to laugh for Bruce’s sake, and turned her attention to the screen. “This seems to be the right video.”

He expanded the window and played back the footage of the raiders disappeared and Marinette pointed at the screen. “Wait, rewind it a few seconds and pause.” Damian did as instructed and Marinette pointed at one of the boys. “That one. That’s the one Captain Staller shot, isn’t it?”

Damian nodded, “Looks like it. It’s even his left leg too.”

Marinette looked around the boys’ cell, “Where’s the akumatized object?”

“The what?”

“The akumatized object.” She grabbed the mouse away from Damian and pulled up the Ladyblog. She pulled up some videos of previous Akuma’s and forwarded the fight videos to when they would capture the Akumas. “See? All Akumas need a catalyst. They usually enter an object of interest on the person to possess the person. Ladybug and Cat Noir have to figure out what it is to release and capture the Akuma.” She pulled back up the previous window and played back the kids returning to normal, “Now look. There’s no akumatized object on either of them. Nothing broke.”

“Do the akumatized objects have to break for the Akuma to leave?”

“Not always, but we should’ve been able to see an Akuma flying away from the boys. They aren’t that fast.”

“Meaning the object wasn’t on the kids.” Damian hummed, “What were the police able to confiscate?”

Bruce looked through some of his files and pulled out a picture. “They wouldn’t give me the evidence, but they allowed me to take a photo.”

Marinette looked at the photo and shuttered. She examined the photo of the odd gun and licked her lips, “I didn’t notice this before.”

“Didn’t notice what?”

She pointed at the gun’s barrel, “Look, there are three different types of ‘bullets’. Red, green, and white.” She thought for a moment and gulped, “We know green had the laughing gas.”

Bruce went to go grab some more photos from the raid and pulled out ones documenting the rooms where there were explosions. He pointed at one of the photos, “So this red residue must be from the red chamber.”

“Then what does white do?” Damian looked up at Bruce and asked, “Do we have any photos of the boys after they turned back?”

Bruce thought for a second before pulling out two photos. Marinette didn’t like the idea of two boys taking mug shots, especially when one was injured, but it was evidence. She looked at the one with the injured leg and studied him carefully until she found a picture of him from behind, “There. White residue.” She pointed at a small dot of white on the back of the boy’s shirt and hummed, “Okay, so let’s say white turns people into raiders. Where did the others come from then?”

Bruce frowned, “More importantly, where are they now? If the boys are back to normal, then shouldn’t there be more people in that cell?”

Damian looked over the footage and zoomed in on the floor surrounding the boys. The footage was grainy, but there were clearly things surrounding them once they transformed back. “What if it’s not just people? What if the white bullets just make henchmen in general?”

Bruce pulled out his phone and walked over to the other side of the room, “Excuse me, I need to make some calls.”

Marinette started to get frustrated and mumbled to herself, “Where are you now?”

“Where’s who now?” She looked up and found herself looking up at Adrien, Alya, and the others. “Figured something out?”

Damian scoffed, “Yes, we did. What took you guys so long?”

“Alya and Tim were arguing about what her prize would be.”

Tim growled, “I’m not giving her a prize because I still can prove Marinette is Ladybug!”

“Give it a rest already!” Alya walked over to Marinette’s side, “I love my girl here, but she’s not Ladybug. I would know.” Damian bit his lip to keep from laughing and turned away from the group. Marinette just rolled her eyes and hugged Alya. Alya happily accepted, “Not to say you wouldn’t make a good Ladybug, though. You would totally rock at superhero business.”

Adrien looked over to Nino and pouted, “Why can’t we be like that?”

Nino rolled his eyes and pulled Adrien into a hug, “You’re so needy.” The two boys snickered as they pulled away and joined the girls as they gathered around the table.

Dick turned to his brothers, “Now, why can’t we be-”

A collective “No” resonated in the room, making Dick grumble as they listened to Marinette’s explanation on how they think the gun works. Jason hummed, “Given the weird style of the thing I’d say the akumatized object was some kind of dart gun. Look, the chambers are stupid wide and there’s a pump when this is supposed to be a pistol.”

Bruce walked back over and nodded, “Jason’s right. After the boys turned back the gun in the bag turned out to be a toy.”

“And the stuff on the floor?”

“Action figures.”

Alya hummed, “So kind of like a mix between Befena and Puppeteer. Interesting.”

“How so?”

Alya motioned for Tim and the others to gather around the computer as she pulled up more footage, “If you look at previous Akumas, they’ve all had one kind of power set. At least most of them have. Befena is one of the few that could do two different things, turn people to coal or transform them into her army of angels. Puppeteer, on the other hand, had the ability to control any sort of toy, statue, etc. It’s interesting that this Akuma is a bit of a mix with more complex powers.”

Chloe crossed her arms, “Okay, but that doesn’t really give us much to work on. So what if this one had one extra power? The other ones have been normal. Probably just a fluke.”

“Or his powers are evolving.” The group turned to Adrien as he thought, “No seriously, he’s been at this for years. Who’s to say he’s not getting stronger?”

Nino shuttered and shook his head, “Don’t even say that, dude. I don’t want to put that out there.”

Damian turned to Adrien, “Besides, Chloe’s right the others have been relatively normal. I agree it could’ve been a fluke.”

“What if it isn’t, though?” Marinette eyes darted between everyone in the group, fearful and tense, “Guys, when this Akuma attacked we were out on open waters.”

“So?”

Tim’s eyes widened, “That’s why you asked for the list. You think he’s on the ship.”

Marinette’s expression only hardened and she gripped onto the chair in front of her. Adrien looked her over and reached out to put a hand on her shoulder, “Marinette-”

She stepped away and started pacing, “What if he is getting stronger? What if he’s the reason everyone on this ship is acting so weird?”

“What do you mean?”

Damian looked at the group and spoke as if this was common knowledge, “You guys haven’t noticed? Everyone’s on edge. Tim lashed out at us. People have been fighting with their good friends. Hell, even the captain says his depression’s getting worse.” He stared at the photo of Hawkmoth on top of the Eifel Tower and resisted the urge to crumple it up. “It would make sense he’s on this ship. Most of the cities we’ve gone to have been attacked, as well as the ship itself, while Paris has had a quiet streak.”

Jason shook his head, “Why the hell is he on the ship, though?” Adrien and Marinette locked eyes for a brief moment, panic passing between the two as they debated saying anything at all.

Adrien gulped, “Probably because-”

“It’s me.” Everyone turned to Marinette and she tensed up, clearly going off of impulse instead of logic. “It’s me, guys.” Damian narrowed his eyes at her as everyone waited with baited breath. She reached into her purse and made eye contact with Tikki. Tikki was about to fly out when she gently pushed her out of the way and pulled out a familiar red and black box. She opened it and a bright light flashed in the room before everyone came to notice a small horse-like creature flying around the room. “Kaalki-”

She floated around the room before landing on Damian’s head. Her British accent was present in every word, “Now these are holders I approve of. Clearly noble blood. Which one am I working with?”

Marinette shook her head and motioned for Kaalki to return to her. Kaalki rolled her eyes before floating back over to the girl and sitting on her shoulder. Marinette turned back to the group and figured she should’ve expected these reactions. Her friends were not necessarily impressed, rather they were simply taking in the appearance of the kwami. However, most of the Wayne family wore various expressions of shock on their faces. Damian didn’t outwardly react, but she could tell he still was intrigued by Kaalki’s appearance. “Ladybug gave me the horse miraculous because she knew our class has been an epicenter for Akumas since Hawkmoth first appeared. If she ever needed to come over for whatever reason, I was supposed to hide, transform, and make a portal for her and Cat Noir.”

“So every time you disappeared during an Akuma attack you-” Marinette nodded and Tim groaned, “Damn it!”

Alya ran over and bounced on the balls of her feet, “You’re a hero. You’re a hero! You’re a hero!” She squealed and spun Marinette around, nearly making her trip. “Yes! I knew it was only a matter of time!”

Marinette snorted as she rebalanced herself and Nino patted her back. Nino beamed, “Dude! You’ve been doing great!”

Chloe and Adrien shared a look before smiling softly at the girl. Adrien looked visibly relieved at her explanation and sent a thumbs up. However, the other men in the room looked disapprovingly at her. She pulled away from Alya and took back a serious demeanor. She coughed, “Um-”

“I mean I get it. Still, why the hell would she choose a kid?”

“I’m with Jason on this one. That’s not fair to put that on you while you’re on vacation. Precaution or not they should’ve given it to a teacher.” Dick’s expression was unusually grim, making Marinette shrink under his gaze.

Damian pushed forward and glared back at the oldest. It wasn’t unusual for Damian to challenge the others, but they were surprised that he wasn’t mad on Marinette’s behalf with them. Damian’s voice was stern and unwavering, “Well, for whatever reason she has one of these things. If this Hawkmoth even had the slightest suspicion there was a miraculous on the boat, of course he would board.”

Bruce nodded, “That’s true. Your class winning the competition made headlines, so he would definitely know about you all being on the ship.”

“But does he know you have it specifically?” Jason stared between Kaalki and Marinette, “Does he know Marinette Dupain-Cheng has the horse miraculous?”

“I don’t know.”

Tim shook his head, “I doubt it. I mean, he may know it’s on the ship but I doubt he knows who has it. Otherwise he would’ve been targeting you from the beginning.”

Chloe waved her hand and scoffed, “You say that as if he’s going by his normal pattern. He hasn’t been talking to any of his Akumas lately. He’s clearly trying to smoke out Ladybug and Cat Noir.”

Bruce turned to the blonde and frowned, “Chloe has a point. He’s trying to make them run out of time outside of Paris. Get them away from their usual playing field, make them disoriented in a different country and use it against them.”

Chloe nodded and turned back to the computer screen. “So if that’s what he’s getting at, then he’s probably going to send out another Akuma tomorrow when we dock. It’s obvious what we should do.”

Nino raised an eyebrow, almost not believing he’s hearing this all from the mayor’s daughter, “And what do we do, Queenie?”

She turned to the Wayne family and pointed at them, “We send them out first. That’ll confuse the heck out of Hawkmoth. If we do what we did last time where some of us kept watch for possible akumatized objects while Alya films for Ladybug we won’t have to worry about them possibly running out of time. They can just swoop in and get the Akuma while they act as a distraction and buy time.”

“We can’t ask them to do that!” The room turned to Marinette and she shook her head, “You forget, they don’t have magic to keep them safe. You know how dangerous Akumas can be! They could get hurt!”

Dick’s face deadpanned and his voice was monotone, “You realize we’ve been at this since before you guys were born, right?”

Jason walked over to Marinette and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, “Yeah! You don’t have to worry about us, we’ve faced threats way worse than some of these guys!”

Marinette’s eyes widened and Tim was quick to reassure, “What he means is that we’re seasoned heroes. Yes, we’ve fought a lot of bad guys, but we’re still here! We know what we’re doing!”

“Unlike you.” The group turned to Bruce who still looked disgruntled, “It frustrates me that you were just given this responsibility. You’re a child.”

Dick rolled his eyes, “Look who’s calling the kettle black.”

The three boys snickered and Bruce glared, “I gave you all choices and trained you. I gave you this opportunity because it was the best path to take for all of you to grow and heal from your pasts.” He then pointed at the third Robin, “Except Tim, Tim found me and asked for this.” Tim nodded smugly and Bruce motioned to Marinette, “What does she gain from this? She doesn’t have training, she doesn’t have trauma to heal from, and she doesn’t need this.” He turned to the kids and sighed, “None of you do. This mess should’ve been taken care of by people who were qualified. Not a bunch of kids!”

Adrien stepped up and raised his voice, “With all due respect, for what they’ve been handed they’ve been doing the best they can. All of the heroes have been doing the best they can. Paris is still standing, the world hasn’t seen disaster from Hawkmoth’s influence, and we’re still here too!”

Alya nodded, “Adrien’s right. Ladybug and Cat Noir may not have Batman to handpick and train them, but they stepped up! They are doing what you did, without all the assets or support! They’re great heroes and I refuse to stand here and let you bash them like that!”

“Besides, Marinette is the best choice out of all of us to be handed that miraculous, anyway.” Chloe flipped back her ponytail and crossed her arms, “She’s the only one who hasn’t been akumatized. Plus, as much as I hate to admit it, she’s just as clever and resourceful as Ladybug. She made the right call!”

Marinette froze in the middle of a staredown between the Gotham heroes and the Paris ones. She backed away and looked between the two, feeling the tension rise, and she suddenly needed air. She felt someone grab her arm and pull her away towards the door. She looked up at Damian, wearing an unreadable expression on his face, and slammed the door behind him. As he turned a corner they bumped into someone and as soon as he recognized the person he scowled. “What do you want?”

Lila rubbed her nose, “Ow. If you must know, Ms. Bustier has been looking for Bruce to talk about the arrangements for tomorrow. Markov said I might find him down here, but I got lost in this maze of a floor!” She huffed and crossed her arms, “Seriously, not very hospitable.” She blinked, noticing the figure behind him, and leaned to the side to get a better look, “Marinette?”

Marinette tensed and started to walk past her, keeping her eyes trained on the ground in front of her. She didn’t look back when she heard Damian slap his hand around Lila’s wrist and warn her against following them. Marinette practically ran up the steps and ran to the middle of the main deck. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and mumbled to herself, “Four counts in, four counts hold, four counts out.”

She took a few more breaths before opening her eyes and taking in the scenery around them. She realized she was standing near the main lounging area and noticed a bunch of her other classmates playing around and swimming in the pool. Damian walked up next to her, but before he could say anything she thought out loud, “We’re never going to be like that are we?”

Damian looked around, “Like what?”

“Normal.” She grabbed his arm and leaned onto him, “They’re here just on normal vacation. Not sitting downstairs in a dark room arguing about heroes and villains and responsibilities.”

Damian shook his head, “No, we’re-”

“Heads up!” Suddenly they were wet. Soaking wet. The two turned around, startled and confused, only to be faced with Kim holding an empty bucket surrounded by Alix, Max, Markov, Ivan, and Mylène. Kim wore a smug look on his face while the others laughed.

It took a few moments before Marinette finally snapped, “Kim, what did you-”

“Max and Markov told us you guys finally decided to go out! We didn’t have any rice or anything so we improvised!”

Damian glared, “That’s for weddings, imbecile!”

Kim looked back and laughed, “You’re right, he does use big words.”

“I told you!” Alix stepped up, jumped, and wrapped her arms around the couple’s shoulders. “Seriously though, congratulations! We were wondering who our dear class president would finally end up with. We just didn’t think it’d be you!”

Mylène just rolled her eyes and patted Marinette’s shoulder, “We’re just excited for you.” Ivan nodded and then glared at Damian, “Oh, also we’re here to intimidate him. You know how these things go.”

Marinette stepped in between the group and Damian and spread out her arms, “No! No more interrogations! Alya practically yelled our ears off this morning!”

“Oh, that’s why she was yelling. We just thought she found out a new thing about Ladybug or something.” Alix snickered, “Good for her, but we’re not done yet.”

Marinette growled, “Nuh-uh. Nope. Not happening! I just got a boyfriend and I am NOT letting you all scare him off!”

Damian blinked, taken aback by her words, before smirking and putting a hand on her shoulder. “It’s fine. Not like any of them are intimidating to me.”

Alix glared, “You take that back, Wayne!”

“No, but this is seriously so rud-” The sudden stop made Damian turn to Marinette, only to find her staring at him like he grew two heads. He raised an eyebrow at her, confused, and tried to move away slowly. He thought it may have been something behind him, but her eyes followed him wherever he moved.

“Marinette?”

She blinked, snapping out of whatever trance she was in, and a wave of red washed over her face and neck. She growled and started pointing at him, “THAT’S WHAT YOUR HAIR LOOKS LIKE WITHOUT HAIR GEL?” She snarled, “OH COME ON!”

Damian frowned, incredibly confused, “What did I do?”

“You- YOU-“ She lunged at him, “YOU CAN’T KEEP GETTING BETTER LOOKING! THAT’S NOT FAIR!” Damian dodged out of the way and then grabbed her arms when she reached for his hair. She huffed and glared at him, “What else are you hiding? You have cute glasses too, huh? I need to be mentally prepared for these things!” She got more and more red, if possible, the longer she yelled, “If this keeps happening and you keep getting better looking, I’m going to be a mess! It’ll be a complete DISASTER!”

Damian finally took note of the hair falling around his face. He was told it look similar to Dick’s hair when he was younger in the way it framed his face. Definitely takes away the professional appearance Damian was keen on keeping, but if he could get her this flustered by letting it be every once in a while might not be a bad thing. He turned back to the girl, “Marine-”

Marinette twisted her herself out of his grip and jumped on his back, “Let me mess with your hair!”

Damian stumbled around, “Marinette, get off!”

She ran her fingers through his hair in an attempt to turn it back to what she was familiar with. “Not until you get back to a tolerable level of attractiveness!”

He struggled to keep balance and looked over at her friend group, who were practically crying in laughter at the whole thing. Her movements made him take one step too many to the right and the two lost complete balance and found themselves falling into the pool. Damian came up first, soon followed by Marinette who swam immediately to the edge and jumped out. He watched her, afraid she was going to try something else, but noticed that she was hugging herself and was shaking. He got out, grabbed a towel from the nearest towel rack, and wrapped it around her. “Marinette, you okay?”

She turned to him, fear clear in her eyes, and she flinched away from his touch before recognizing him. She gulped and shook her head, “I’m fine. Just,” She paused and took a shaky breath, “Brought up bad memories.” Suddenly taking an unexpected dive into the water brought her back to the night of the raid. The spot on her cheek that the raider kissed felt on fire and her heart raced as the next moments flashed before her eyes.

Damian sighed and moved hair away from her face, “Let’s get changed, otherwise we’re going to get sick.”

Mylène and Alix walked up, the group long since stopped laughing when they saw Marinette scramble to get out of the water, and looked over the girl. Mylène smiled at Damian, “We’ll take her back to her room and get her cleaned up. We’ll see you at dinner.”

Damian nodded and placed a small kiss on the top of her head, “Okay. See you around 4?”

She blinked, pink coming back to her cheeks, and nodded as she was led away by two of her friends. Damian watched as they walked past Lila, finally coming back after finding the others and talking to his father, and she smirked as soon as she knew they couldn’t see her. When she turned back, the two locked eyes and Damian felt his anger rising just looking at the girl. He was about to step towards her before Ivan put a hand on his arm. Kim grinned, “Woah! We still gotta talk!”

Damian sighed, “About?”

Ivan smiled, “Sorry about the mean look. The girls are adamant about us talking to you and playing bad cops.”

Max adjusted his glasses, “Which is odd because they’d more likely be bad cops in this situation.”

Damian pinched the bridge of his nose and suddenly felt exhausted. “Who else do I have to worry about? So far, Alya, Chloe, Alix, and Mylène have all yelled at me. Who else?”

Max shrugged, “I mean I doubt Rose or Juleka would yell at you, they’ll be super happy for you guys. Kagami though is a different story.”

“The fencer?”

“Oh yeah, but you don’t have to worry about her until you arrive in Paris.” Kim snickered, “Oh man and that’s not even counting her family! Her grandmother is great, but I’d hate to see her mad.”

Ivan nodded, “That’s not even counting Jagged Stone, Fang, or Penny.”

Damian groaned, “At least her parents like me.”

“WOAH!” Kim grabbed Damian’s shoulders, “You met the parents? Dude!”

Damian shrugged his hands off and stepped back, “I met them back when we first explored Spain and we’ve only talked a few times since.”

“So what’d they do when you told them you guys were dating? You know they’ve been just as eager to see her date someone as her friends, right?” Max watched as Damian paled slightly, “You haven’t told them yet.”

Damian glared and got defensive, “This happened last night, we haven’t exactly had the time!”

Ivan laughed and patted Damian’s back with more force than he was expecting. He made Damian lurch forward with every pat, “Don’t worry. They’re really nice.”

Markov fluttered around the boy, “You know Damian, you’ve become much more sociable since this trip started. When we first met you, you didn’t really talk to anyone outside of Marinette and her close friends.”

“Yeah, and you kept calling us by our last names for some reason.” Kim wore a stern demeanor and pointed at Damian, “Wayne.” He immediately broke character and laughed. “Seriously though, you’re like one of us now!”

Damian blinked at the statement, “What?”

“Yeah, Damian. We need to hang out more before the trip is over.” Ivan chuckled, “If you can get away from Marinette.”

Damian gulped, not really knowing how to feel about all of this. A part of him, deep down, was actually happy. This class just welcomed him and he felt a normalcy he couldn’t even get from Jon when they were in school together. Jon knew he was a hero and went with him to go crime-fighting. While Jon gave him a friend for life, it wasn’t a normal relationship due to their abilities and duties. These kids only knew him as Damian and couldn’t care less about who his family was. The name Wayne meant nothing to them, they just cared about Damian and it was both refreshing and thought-provoking for him. He spent his whole life looking down on these types of people. Those who didn’t have to worry like he did, fight like he did, or survive like he did. They just lived and he finally got a taste of what it meant to simply be 15 with other kids his age.

However, he felt like an imposter. There was a reason he didn’t get close to normal people, he wasn’t one of them. He could never be one of them. His breeding, his training, his past, his future, all of it ruled against anything normal. He couldn’t have this, but admitting that meant he couldn’t have Marinette either. Despite being Ladybug, this was her world. One she grew up in, one she helped shape and improve, and one he couldn’t ever corrupt.

Damian forced himself to give the boys a polite smile, “We’ll see. But for now, I have to go change. See you later.” They waved their goodbyes and went back to having their fun as Damian’s mind raced. While she walked the line between hero life and normal life, she would forever be tethered by that promise of things going back to the way they were before Hawkmoth and before Ladybug. He could never have that. He was forever bound by his demons and his bloodline. Bound to be a vigilante for as long as he could stay alive or until his darkness took over, something he didn’t ever wish for but knew was a possibility.

Marinette’s words rang in his head, “How is this going to work?”

He didn’t know and it made him sick.


	12. Low Tide

“Why am I getting dressed up again?”

“Because Damian got some leads and those leads are all going to the VIP dinner tonight.” Jason pulled at his collar like a dog pulling at a leash. Tim rolled his eyes as he fixed her cuffs, “Just be lucky it’s not black-tie formal, as long as we show up in a nice shirt and dress pants then we’ll be fine.”

Dick checked himself out for the fourth time in the mirror, “I like having a reason to fix myself up. I look great in these kinds of outfits.” He took a quick photo of himself and texted it to Kory, a smile on his face as he anticipated her response.

Damian stepped out of the bathroom and straightened out his shirt. He shook his head, finally noticing Dick in front of the mirror. “Move.” He bumped Dick out of the way and examined himself. After a brief moment, he nodded and felt satisfied with his current look. “Alright, let’s go.”

“Wait, Damian! Your hair.” Dick walked up and grabbed some hair gel off the dresser, “Seriously, you can’t just-”

“Leave it.” Damian watched as all three of his brothers tensed and turned to him, “What?”

“Okay. I know you found love and crap, but first you told her you’re Robin, then about the Titans, and now you aren’t going to style your hair?” Jason hit the side of his head, a small ‘bonk’ could be heard, as if he was trying to make sure he was really there. “You never go outside without looking like a weird midget businessman.”

“Don’t say that. Alfred lectured us about that word. He’s going to find out.”

“Right! Right. Sorry.” Jason scratched his chin and shuddered, “Never mind. He knows.”

Tim watched his brother as his paranoia set in, “Oh yeah?”

“Shut up, that old man knows everything. He knows, I can feel it.” Jason shook his head and sighed, “A lecture is waiting for me back in Gotham. I just know it.”

Damian pinched the bridge of his nose and groaned, “You’re hopeless.”

Tim laughed and nudged Jason. He sighed and turned back to Damian, “Seriously though, what gives? We’ve been trying to get you to change your hair for forever.”

Damian smirked, “Hey Dick, text Marinette to mentally prepare herself to meet us at the dinner. She’ll know what I mean.”

“He finally gets a girlfriend and now thinks he’s hot sh-”

“Alfred.”

Jason shuddered and rushed to the door, “I didn’t say anything! Nope! Nothing!” Dick and Tim laughed at their brother currently pleading to nothing in particular to have mercy. They made their way to an upper deck and looked around the dining hall. It’s the same hall from the award dinner, but the tables were set up nicer with both speakers and some musicians for a variation of music. “Why the quartet?”

“Because George is here.” Dick motioned for the old man, easily in his 80s, in a wheelchair rolled around by one of his granddaughters. “He’s one of Bruce’s dad’s old acquaintances and stockholders. The dude is ancient and super old school. He’s only supposed to be here for tonight’s dinner to speak to Bruce for their quarterly check-in.”

“He’s still alive?”

“Jason!” Tim smacked the back of Jason’s head before walking up the old man. “Hello, George. Do you remember us? We’re Bruce’s sons.” The old man didn’t react and his granddaughter sent a sympathetic smile.

“Hey, grandpa? Look. It’s the Wayne boys.” The old man finally reacted and smiled at the girl before turning to the boys. He gave a polite wave before staring off into space again. She sighed, “I’m sorry. The older he gets, the more he does this. Don’t be fooled though, he loves seeing your dad.” She held out her hand, “How are you guys?”

Dick chuckled, “We’re fine Ciara. It’s good to see you again. How’s the fiancé?”

Ciara smiled brightly, “She’s great! She’s currently showing off her art in a Chicago art gallery.” She giggled, “Once we figure out the date, you’ll all get invitations.”

“We’ll hold you to that doll face.” Ciara pushed Jason playfully and Jason smirked, “Glad to see you’re doing well.”

Ciara nodded and turned to Damian, who continuously looked around the room throughout the conversation, “Damian? I didn’t even recognize you with your hair is like that! You look a little like Dick when he was younger.”

Damian sighed, “Why does everyone say that?” Damian smiled politely at the girl, “Still, good to see you. Glad things are going well for you.” Ciara nodded and Damian turned his attention back at the various entrances. His brothers noticed him visibly perk up and turned to the main entrance to see Marinette walk in with a gaggle of girls alongside Adrien and Nino.

Alya and Alix weren’t in dresses, choosing a nice blouse and dress pants. The other girls wore dresses and pushed a resistant Marinette forward. She was yelling something over her shoulder, her cheeks red and expression desperate, as they egged her on. Her dress was less formal, but the way she wore it was just as elegant. Simple pink dress, hair down, light make up that brought out her fair features, all tying together in a nice little bow similar to the one on the side of her waist.

Adrien laughed, turned her head to the four brothers, and pointed at Damian. The two made eye contact, staring at each other for a brief moment before Damian’s face held a light pink tint and Marinette’s red face became even more saturated in color. Marinette turned on her heel and tried to leave, but the group locked her in. She turned back, her body rigid as she made her way over to the boys.

Ciara nudged Damian, “Oh my god, you fancy her don’t you?”

Damian sent her a small glare before bracing himself. The others were wondering why he became so stiff until Marinette reached up for his hair and he held her arms away. Looking at the two, you could tell they were struggling against each other and Damian sighed, “Marinette, we have to stop this. We’re in a VIP dinner.”

“You-”

“I warned you didn’t I?”

She growled and yanked her arms back, “Fine!” She stared at him for a few moments before she shook her head, “Nope! Nope! No! I can’t get used to it!”

Jason smirked and nudged the youngest, “So that’s why you didn’t fix up your hair! You sly dog!” Damian glared at his snickering brothers. Jason waved him off and turned to Marinette, “You look adorable.”

Marinette blinked and started hitting his chest playfully, “You can’t start too! I’m already embarrassed as it is!” She held her fists to her sides and she huffed, color never fading from her face.

Dick laughed, “Oh my god! Is that supposed to be intimidating?”

“Watch it Grayson! I will throw you overboard!”

The boys all blinked and Tim glared at Damian, “You corrupted her.”

Damian smiled in pride and put his arm around Marinette, “I did no such thing.” He grinned at her and she just looked annoyed, “You do look cute, though. Did you make that dress too?” She gulped and looked away. She nodded and he praised her, “It’s very well made.”

Tim pulled Marinette out of Damian’s grip, “Okay. Okay. You’re going to kill the girl. I mean, if any more of her blood rushes to her head she’ll need to be placed in the infirmary.”

Adrien waved to most of the girls as they left, leaving him to lead Nino, Alya, and Chloe over to Marinette. He continued laughing at his poor friend. “You seem to be doing well.”

“I will not hesitate, Adrien.”

“Oh, we know.” Alya nudged Damian, “Marinette told me you looked good with your hair down, but dang dude! Nino, you’re in trouble!”

Nino waved her off and motioned to Adrien, “I have an actual model in my court. You ain’t got nothing on me.”

Chloe rolled her eyes and looked over the boys, “I forgot you could clean up well. Seriously, why don’t you dress like this more often?”

Jason groaned, “And feel as stiff as I look? No thank you, Chloe.”

Ciara giggled, “Friends of yours?”

Dick nodded and motioned to the group, “These are kids from the French class who got the spot on the trip. The one who caught Damian’s eye is Marinette, the winner.”

Ciara motioned to the group and spoke to her grandfather, “Look, grandpa, it’s the kids Bruce chose!” The old man looked up and smiled at the group. The girls all lurched forward and crouched in front of him, doting on the old man.

“He’s so cute!”

“You’re British or something? What’s your name, sir?”

“And how do you know Bruce?”

Ciara blinked in surprise and laughed, “He may not respond. He has a habit of spacing o-”

“George.” The group turned to the old man as he held out his shaking hand, “Nice to meet you.” Marinette gentle took it and smiled sweetly at him.

“My name’s Marinette, George. This is Alya and Chloe. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

The old man seemed to have a long-forgotten glimmer in his eyes as he smiled back at the girls. Ciara laughed in disbelief, “That’s the most he’s said to anyone outside the family who isn’t Bruce!” She walked over and hugged Marinette, “You’re a miracle, aren’t you?”

Marinette giggled, “No, I’m just Marinette. You are?”

“Ciara. My grandpa here has known Bruce for ages. We’re here to visit him.”

“And I’m here to see him too.” The group turned to Bruce as he walked up and crouched down to George’s level. “Nice to see you again.”

George’s smile grew, “Bruce! I met your daughter! She’s very sweet.”

“My daughter?” George motioned to Marinette and Bruce laughed, “She’s not my-”

Alya snorted, “I mean, in-laws count don’t they?”

Damian and Marinette tensed and scolded the girl, “Alya!”

Bruce rolled his eyes, “Let’s go talk, George.” Bruce and Ciara rolled George away, leaving the kids to their own devices.

Jason and Alya high-fived, “That was awesome!”

“I keep telling people, I’m hilarious!”

“You’re annoying!” Marinette let out an exasperated sighed and rubbed her temples, “And in front of Bruce too. You’re the worst.”

Alya laughed as her best friend whined, making the others in the group laugh with her. Nino took a second to listen to the song played and smiled, “Hey! It’s your song, dudes!” While the boys were confused, Adrien and Marinette paused and looked at each other.

“When was the last time we heard this song?”

“It’s been years!” The two laughed as they remembered the teddy bear themed Akuma of that night. Marinette turned to Damian, “The first time we danced together was to this song. It’s been one of my favorites ever since!”

“Wasn’t that at my party?”

“Yes. Yes, it was. It was the same party I pulled possibly the BEST wing-woman move in history!”

Nino snickered, “We both did that, Alya.”

Adrien held out his arm and winked at Marinette, “Wanna dance for nostalgia?”

Marinette was about to agree before pulling back and stepping next to Damian, “I’ll pass. You should ask someone else to dance. I’m sure no one is going to pass you up.”

Adrien blinked before realizing her reasoning, “Oh yeah! Sorry Damian, completely forgot for a second.” He rubbed the back of his neck nervously while Damian jaw tensed.

Damian felt a tinge of jealousy as soon as Nino brought up the fact that it was ‘their song’. However, seeing the way Marinette move towards him and knowing Adrien’s apology was genuine made him relax. He sighed and nudged Marinette, “Go ahead. I’ll take the next dance.”

“You dance? Since when?” Damian glared at Tim who just held his hands up in surrender.

Marinette and Adrien looked at each other for a second before turning to Damian, “Seriously, it’s fine. We don’t-”

“No. Go dance with Adrien, Marinette. It’ll be fun.” He gently pushes her forward and smiled politely at the two. Marinette and Adrien sent him an unsure look before the hesitantly walked onto the dance floor.

Alya nudged Damian, “That was nice of you, but you know you can say if you are uncomfortable with them dancing. You don’t have to be okay with everything she wants to do just because you’re dating.”

“I’m not in charge of her.”

“I’m not saying you are. If you try to control her, that’s different. That’s telling her she can’t dance with anyone other than you or people you approve of. You saying ‘I think I’d feel weird seeing my first girlfriend dance with an old crush’ is completely understandable.” Alya sighed and smiled at the boy in pity, “You usually have no filter. You have it bad for her, don’t you?”

Damian watched as the two danced around the room. A simplified ballroom waltz, nothing inappropriate and completely platonic. He could’ve relaxed except the looks on their faces as they talked were incredibly serious. Damian sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, “I don’t know how any of this works.”

Dick watched his brother in pity, “You have us to help you out, you know?”

Damian let his shoulders fall, “I don’t like feeling like this.”

Nino chuckled, “Love can be awesome and love can suck. I will say this, you won’t find someone better to love than Marinette.”

Chloe hummed in approval, “He’s right. That girl’s heart is too big for her own good and she’s so loyal. You never have to worry about that one.”

Jason smiled at his brother, “Sounds like you couldn’t have picked them better, baby bird.”

Tim snickered, “Only the best for Damian Wayne.”

Damian glared at his brother before turning back to Marinette and Adrien. Marinette happened to look over and noticed him, sending him a loving smile his way. Damian felt himself relax and smiled back. Dick sighed, “You’ve got it bad.”

“So bad.”

“It’s ridiculous.”

“It’s sickening.”

“It’s hilarious.”

“I swear if you all don’t-”

“She’s coming over here.” Damian turned his attention back to the two to see Marinette and Adrien walk back.

Adrien grinned, “That was fun. She’s all yours, Damian. Thanks for letting us dance to that song again.”

Before Damian could say anything, the speakers turned off and the quartet began playing some ballroom music. Marinette grabbed Damian’s hand and pulled him to the dance floor. Adrien turned to the three oldest of the group, “Does he even know how to dance?”

“Luckily, only to this type of music because of Bruce. He made us learn for galas and stuff like that.” Tim watched as his brother gently guided Marinette through a dance she was unfamiliar with. He smiled and took a picture, “This is so weird.”

“It’s sweet. I haven’t seen her this excited for anything in such a long time.” Alya’s smile fell and hugged herself, “I should’ve-”

“Alya, you have to forgive yourself some time. You didn’t know. She didn’t want you to know.” Chloe huffed and turned to Adrien, hand out. “Let’s just dance and enjoy the night before tomorrow. There’s sure to be a fight.” Adrien nodded and took her hand, leading her out onto the floor.

Alya sighed and turned to Dick, “Marinette said you’re good with feelings. Help.”

Dick blinked, “Why’d she say that?”

Alya shrugged, “She didn’t tell me how she knows that and I have a feeling you won’t either.”

Dick snorted, “Damn right I won’t.” He nudged her, “You’re a good friend Alya. You look out for her the same way I look out for these idiots.”

“Rude.”

“True.”

“As I was saying,” Dick placed a hand on her shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze, “I don’t think she holds anything against you. I know you feel terrible. You feel like you betrayed her and you let her down and now you’re wondering if she should even be friends with you. If you’re having all those thoughts then I’d say you’re still being a great best friend. You’re looking out for her, you feel bad for hurting her. You’re trying to make up for it.” 

Alya’s eye began to water and Jason jumped in, “Alya, you’re a good kid. Smart, too. Marinette is lucky to have you. Just like you’re lucky to have her. Still, that guilt will stay with you until you talk to her about it. Marinette and you need to take care of that unfinished business because, let’s face it, you did hurt her. But, she still loves you. That counts for a lot.”

Alya wiped her eyes and turned her attention back to her best friend. Marinette and Damian glided across the room and she looked like she was in a fairytale. It put a smile back on her face and she sniffed, “Now I know why Marinette came to trust you guys so quickly.” She laughed, “Not that I don’t trust you guys, but she trusted you all almost immediately. She was always a good judge of character.” Nino nudged her and Alya smiled gratefully, knowing he was letting her know he was there for support.

Tim smiled at the two before sighing, “Guys, remember, we’re here to do a job too. Michael Aaron is standing by the west entrance with his wife. Darius Azreth is sitting at table 8 with some colleagues.”

Alya nodded curtly, going back into a reporter persona. Nino was used to her split-second changes, but the other boys were taken aback for a second seeing the quick change. Alya looked over her options, “We’ll take Aaron. It’ll be easier to start talking to a guy and his wife than a board meeting.” Tim nodded in agreement and they all separated, the boys taking Azreth and the couple taking Aaron.

Meanwhile, Marinette and Damian continued to be in their own little world. “You know I’m still tempted to ask Dick to give me his hair gel right now.”

“Still not used to it?”

“No, not at all.” She hummed, “You know if you don’t want me to dan-”

“I don’t control you. If you want to have fun with your guy friends, then I can’t stop you.”

Marinette smiled softly and leaned towards him, “You know you’re important to me too, right? I want to know what you think and how you feel. It’s a two-way street, Damian.”

He smiled and spun her around. She laughed before they came back to face each other. Damian sighed, “I’m not good at this. I’m not used to any of this. I don’t know how this works or how it’s supposed to work. My mother was a terrible role model when it comes to healthy relationships. I don’t exactly watch my father closely for dating tips and Grayson has been in a relationship for a long time. I can’t exactly use him and Kory as a way to model my first, new relationship with someone.”

“Who said we needed a model?” She watched Damian for a reaction as she continued, “Damian, there’s not one way this is supposed to work. Otherwise, everyone would find love and divorce wouldn’t even exist. As long as we talk things through and make sure we keep each other’s best interests at heart along with our own, I think we should be okay.” She stopped and squeezed his hand, “If it helps, I’m scared too. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do or how this is supposed to work, I’m just playing this by ear.”

Damian’s lips pressed into a hard line, “I’m am too, but I’m worried.”

“About?” The music’s tune changed into something a bit darker, a melody that oozed gothic romanticism, and Damian began leading them into a new waltz. She felt like she was stepping into foreign waters, “This is new.”

He listened closely, recognizing the crescendo and surprised the musicians were so bold to attempt the piece. He noted how more people came to play this specific song, making their own small symphony, and he knew why. “This is called the ‘Waltz of the Damned’. An intense piece for sure. You think you can keep up?”

“As long as you take the lead and catch me if I fall.”

Damian smirked and started leading her through more fluid turns and steps. Marinette struggled to keep up but he kept her attention. “Just keep looking at me. I’m not going to let you fall.” Marinette nodded and relaxed as he led the dance. “I’m worried about us. Our other lives.”

She bit her lip, “I’m worried about that too. While Hawkmoth is still on the loose, I have to stay in Paris.”

“The Titans need a Robin too.” Another turn and he caught a glimpse of his father watching them proudly. Damian sighed, he knew it was meant to be taken positively but it only served to be an ominous presence forever lingering over him. Lots of things lingered when it came to him. “I have a lot of baggage, Marinette.”

The ensemble started to play a darker tone and Marinette felt something in her gut. “I figured.”

“Lots of sins I need to atone for.”

“You already told me that before. Am I supposed to run?”

“Marinette-”

“Damian, whatever you did-”

“No, Marinette, you should know.” She stopped talking and he bit his lip, “Marinette, my mother and grandfather were part of a very elite group. That group hurt people. A lot of people.” While she didn’t outwardly react, her eyes were looking for any sign of lying. She didn’t find it. He leaned forward and he lowered his voice, “Marinette, my family killed people. I killed people.”

Her brows furrowed as she processed the meaning of the words, “But how-” The music suddenly got more intense and instinctually Damian guided her through this more aggressive part of the dance. Hours of lessons forced upon by Bruce hammered in dances like this until they became muscle memory. Marinette couldn’t register everything going on around her and she felt dizzy. The more they span the more overwhelmed she felt as the gravity of his situation really hit her. He didn’t say anything, fearing he was one word away from her turning heel and bolting away.

A few sudden moments of Forte in the song, a few sudden movements in the dance, a dip to top it off and Marinette really couldn’t tell what was real anymore. He brought her back up and the music went back to a slower, slightly more playful tune. His expression never changed, neither did hers as she continued to be shocked by his confession. She felt her mouth go dry, unwilling to respond as the music picked up again, gentler this time around as the piece was coming to a close but a crescendo nonetheless. New thoughts filling her head as she realized what this meant for her.

The eye contact never faded and neither did the tension. If it wasn’t for the fact that the music was already conveying the chaos inside her head she would’ve screamed. A few more steps, a few more turns, and one last pose. The waltz ended and while the room around them erupted in applause, they continued staring at each other unaware of the world around them. It wasn’t until Adrien came up and placed a hand on Marinette’s shoulder that she finally looked away.

“You guys, that was incredible! I’ve never seen anyone dance to that!”

Chloe nodded beside him, “Very impressive. I honestly would’ve thought you’d lose your footing and fall somewhere along the line.”

Marinette just licked her lips and forced a smile on her face, “Thanks Chloe.”

Adrien walked over to Damian and put an arm over his shoulder, “We’re going to go get something to drink. You want anything?”

Chloe grabbed Marinette’s arm, “No, no, you boys have fun.”

Adrien started to drag Damian away. Damian protested, “Wait, we-”

“Let’s go, Wayne.” Damian’s attention was immediately switched over to the blond on his arm and felt a menacing presence in the place of the otherwise happy model. He looked over his shoulder and saw that Chloe had already dragged Marinette away. He wondered if a part of him was trying to scare her off. As far as he could tell, it probably worked.

They got to a more secluded part of the room and Adrien spoke, “What did you say to her?”

Damian could feel himself get defensive, “None of your business, Agreste.”

“The only time I’ve ever seen Marinette make that face before was when I told her something that made her mad at me for days.” In reality, he saw that face plenty of times before as Aspik. Whenever he tried to confess his identity to her, she would make the same shocked face. Her eyebrows furrowed, her pupils constricted, and her face contorted. She was so expressive, everything that she could do to convey something was wrong she did. Every little muscle, every little wrinkle, everything screamed “NO”. He hoped he’d never have to see that face again, but when she realized his identity he saw it again. It infuriated him that he caused that reaction. It infuriated him more that she was having this reaction now. “Now, what did you do?”

Damian glared back at Adrien, “I told her something. Something about myself that I won’t tell anyone else.”

“Must’ve been a doozy of a secret to get her to make that face.”

“Watch it.”

“No, you watch it.” He ran his finger through his hair and looked over to Chloe. They made eye contact and he watched as her eyes relayed uncertainty and worry. “Look, Marinette is a really good person. The best. Out of anyone and everyone, she chose you. That means a lot. Whatever you told her, fix it.”

“How the hell am I supposed to do that?”

“I don’t know. Not my problem. Just know that she’s good friends with both Ladybug and Cat Noir and Cat Noir’s Cataclysm can destroy anything.”

He narrowed his eyes at Adrien, “Is that a threat?”

Adrien didn’t falter, “Depends on what you do next, Wayne.” Adrien looked over Damian’s shoulders and saw Jason coming up, “Careful, you’re going to get interrogated again.”

“What are you-” He suddenly felt his collar tighten as he was dragged away towards a nearby exit. Adrien sending daggers all the while until turning to get drinks for the girls. Damian huffed as he saw Dick and Tim also make their way over. Jason dragged him outside and to a private area outside the dining hall and slammed him against the wall. “Well, hello to you too.”

The three looked around, making sure they were alone, before turning back to their interrogation. Jason’s eyes narrowed at the teen, “Don’t get cute with me. What the hell did you say to her?”

Damian chose to stay silent and Dick frowned, “Please tell me you didn’t-”

“Shut up.”

“You can’t tell someone that right off the bat Damian! Jesus, no wonder she looks terrified!”

Tim groaned, “I know you’re clueless at this, but you aren’t stupid Damian. What were you thinking?”

“I was thinking she probably deserved to know.”

“Oh yeah, great first date topic. ‘Hi, I’m Damian. My family is head of the League of Assassins. Also, my favorite color is black. Tell me about yourself.’” Jason’s face deadpanned, “Seriously?”

Damian rolled his eyes, “Look, she was going to find out sooner or later-”

“Yeah, a few months into dating when you guys are ready to talk about these things. Not one day into dating! That’s like proposing on the first date!” Tim groaned, “Look, its good and all that you feel comfortable enough to share with her but oversharing is **bad** to do. Especially just starting out.”

“Yeah, Damian. You guys are at a point where you guys are testing the waters. You read into the relationship and slowly make your way into the deep end. Dumping that info on her is like throwing her into 9 feet of water without a life jacket, not knowing if she could even swim.” Dick pinched his nose and muttered something to himself.

Damian just growled, “I didn’t tell her that to share, I told her that to warn her.” He sighed, “You guys know as well as I do that I’ve done some bad things. I have a lot of things hanging over my head and lots of things that may or may not come back to bite me.” He frowned, “She should know what she’s signing up for.”

Jason groaned and let go of the teen’s collar, “I mean good point, but also you don’t tell her that _now_. There’s a time and a place and this isn’t it, man. If you were really worried about that then you tell her in private where you guys can talk about it. Not in a crowded party, in the middle of a dance floor, doing some crazy ass waltz. She was probably really overwhelmed.”

Damian grit his teeth, “Look, if I’m causing so many problems maybe I should just head back. The Titans probably need me anyways.” He tried walking away but Tim blocked his path, “Move.”

“No.” Tim rubbed his temples, “Best and worst part about being in the open waters? You can’t run from your problems.”

“Watch me.”

“Damian, you’re sabotaging yourself.”

“I am not!”

“Oh really?” Dick started to list off things, “You told her you were a hero. You told her about the league. You argue with her when you can. It sounds to me like you’re trying to scare her off. Why?”

Damian growled, “Because I’m not like her! I’m not like any of them! I’m not normal or happy or anything like them!” He panted and leaned against the wall, “She’s going to get seriously hurt around me. I just know it. There’s no way I can logically make this work without ruining her chance at something normal. Something safe.”

The boys stood there for a few moments in silence before Dick groaned and smacked Damian upside the head. “You idiot!”

Damian snapped, “I will rip your arm off!”

“Seriously Damian, if she cared about that kind of stuff she would’ve ran when she found out about you being Gotham’s little baby bird.” Tim grabbed Damian by the shoulders, “She is probably one of the best things to happen to you and you just chased her off.”

Damian shoved his brother off, but before he could do anything he was forcefully turned around. He caught a girl’s wrist before her palm could make contact. She glared at him and he heard himself gulp, “What on earth did you say to her? Seriously, I leave for five minutes and she’s catatonic! I thought we had a moment there about healthy relationships and you do _this_?” She smacked her forehead and groaned, “You are giving me migraines, Wayne.”

Damian blinked, “Alya?”

“Yes, Alya, me, Marinette’s best friend, and the one you need to beg for forgiveness so you can even _look_ at her.” Alya tucked some hair behind her ear before sighing, “Now tell me what you did.”

Jason stepped forward, “He told her something about his past that was not appropriate whatsoever.”

Alya blinked and gulped, “Something about your past?” Damian opened his mouth to answer, but ended up holding his tongue. The lack of an answer gave her some possibilities she would rather not think about. She pushed the thoughts out of her head, “I mean, I’m sorry for whatever happened. That sucks, but he’s right. You can’t just drop that on someone. She isn’t your counselor. She’s your girlfriend!”

Alya paused for a second before she shook her head, “Backtrack. It’s okay to tell your partner secrets about you and to trust them, but trust takes time. You work up to it. Throwing that kind of baggage on someone right away isn’t a healthy sign, Damian.”

Damian’s eye twitched, “Oh and you’re a couple’s counselor now?”

Alya huffed, “If a reason a person was akumatized goes public, we talk about it and try to prevent it from happening again. An Akuma due to bullying, we learn about prevention and intervention. An Akuma due to a panic attack, we learn about anxiety and things to do in a crisis. An Akuma because of an abusive relationship, we learn about the signs of abuse and about co-dependency. Over-sharing right away is a sign of co-dependency.”

Damian rolled his eyes. He knew about the subject. He made himself learn after a particularly bothering case where he couldn’t figure out why the man kept going back to his crazy fiancé. He checked in on him every week to make sure he was okay until the guy finally built up the courage to leave the crazy woman. He thought for a moment and realized that, to anyone else not knowing the context, his over-sharing might be considered manipulative. He was reminded of the sob stories or the intimidation tactics that woman used to use on the guy to test his loyalty and keep him in her corner. Unintentionally comparing himself to her made him shudder. Damian sighed, “I was just telling her about some of the consequences of dating me might bring. Let’s just say I have some enemies.”

Alya’s expression showed him that she didn’t entirely believe him, but she didn’t press. “Damian, are you trying to scare her off?”

“That’s what I said!”

“Grayson!” Damian turned back to Alya, “Look, Alya-”

Alya wrapped her arms around the boy and Damian tensed in her hold. He didn’t reciprocate, something inside reminding him that she wasn’t the one he wanted to hold. Alya pulled away and rubbed her eyes, giving him a look of pity. “You know, you need to talk about what’s bothering you. I can tell you’re holding in a lot.” She snorted, “And while Marinette is a great person to talk to, your timing is a bit off. Besides, you’re rich enough to buy your own private counseling center if you wanted to.”

Damian narrowed his eyes at her and she remained unfazed much to his annoyance. Damian was unnerved that these kids could read things about him. He never met a group of kids who could call him out the way they did, not in such a short amount of time at least. No magic, no shared trauma, no long hours of living and training together, they just could tell. He’d never admit it made him both anxious and oddly reassured.

Alya grabbed his arm and gently led him away from his brothers. Damian looked over his shoulder to his brothers, unsure of what to do, but found all their expressions unreadable. Dick just called out, “We’re going to continue what we were doing. You fix this.” Jason looked between his two brothers and Damian and ran to catch up to the youngest.

“What are you-”

“Shut up. You’re going to need help.”

Damian ground his teeth, he’s never felt this lack of control in anything. He’s always lead the group and never let anyone push him around, not even his father. Yet, right now, he was being yanked around by this group of French students and his brothers. How many times has this happened within the last 20 minutes? Four? Damian could feel his frustration rise and resisted the urge to shove her off.

Alya led him to Marinette’s room, outside the door stood their other friends. Chloe glared at him, but before she could say anything Alya shook her head. This gesture forced Chloe to stand down and step aside. She knocked on the door and yelled through it, “Marinette, I have your boyfriend here! Open up! You need to talk to him!” The lack of a response hurt more than he would like to admit. “Marinette, I’m throwing him in!”

“Wait, what?” She pulled out a keycard and unlocked the door, throwing him and Jason in and shutting it behind them. “Alya!”

“Fix this, Damian! Otherwise, I will get Ladybug and Cat Noir to personally obliterate you!”

He slammed his fist on the door and sighed. “Idiots.” He turned back to the room and looked around.

“Empty. Marinette?” Jason walked around and noted that while the bathroom door was open, the den door was not. He knocked, “Marinette?”

No answer but they heard some rustling from inside. Damian frowned and sat down in front of the door. He groaned and leaned his head against the door frame, “Marinette, we need to talk about this.”

Jason frowned at the sight of his brother, in his own way this was groveling. He knocked again, “Marinette?” Again, the two were met with silence. Jason groaned and sat down next to Damian, “Damian, why’d you tell her that?”

“I keep telling you, she should know!” He ran his fingers through his hair and he huffed, “Look, I’m not a good person-”

“Shut up.” Damian snapped his head up and faced Jason. Jason held a steady glare aimed at Damian, “Shut the hell up. You aren’t a bad person.”

“How the hell are you going to tell me that?”

“Because in this family, I’m the bad person. Not you, Damian.”

“Jason-”

“No! Listen to me!” Jason examined Damian for a second before letting his shoulders fall. Frowning, he proceeded with caution, “Damian, you are not a bad person. You were just a kid put into a bad situation. I should know.”

Damian wiped his nose against his sleeve, “Stop trying to make me feel better, Todd.”

“I’m trying to get you to see that you’re wrong, dumbass.” Jason’s expression softened slightly, “I didn’t realize you thought of yourself like that.” He paused to ponder over his next words, “Damian, you were unlucky enough to be born to a psycho bitch and her murderous, power-hungry father. You didn’t go up to God and demand he make you Talia’s baby, you just happened to be hers.” He stopped and narrowed his eyes, “Although I can actually see you doing that.”

Damian put all of his energy into killing the laugh that was ready to pop out in response to his comment. Instead, he rolled his eyes, “Get to the point.”

“When I think about the league, I don’t think of you. I think of all the bad stuff you were put through, but never you as a person.” Jason ran his fingers through his hair, “My point is that you didn’t know any better. You did what you did because you were taught to get on your mother’s and grandfather’s good sides no matter what. You didn’t know anything else but the league, so you can’t keep holding that against yourself.”

Damian pursed his lips together, letting the words sink in for a second before shaking his head, “No, I-”

“Tell me something, have you killed anyone out of spite since getting out of the league?”

“No.”

“Did you, or did you not, actively try to be better and follow Batman’s no-killing policy?”

“I did.”

“Damian, you’re a good kid.” Jason placed a hand on Damian’s shoulder, “You’re a good person. The only way any of that would really matter to who you are is if you knew better.” Jason looked away and frowned, “That’s why I’m the bad one in the family. Everything I’ve done, I knew better. I was old enough, I’ve seen enough, I knew enough to know there was another way. A better way. Still, I chose to do all that bad stuff and I can’t ever take that back. Everything you did, you did before you were ten and while you were being groomed by Talia and Ra’s.”

Damian licked his lips before forcing himself to smirk and respond, “And when did you get so wise?”

“Dick’s not the only one good with this emotional stuff. I’ve been through enough crap to learn a thing or two.” Jason sent his brother a comforting smile, “You were the one good thing that came out of that place. You should be proud of that, Damian.” 

The silence was deafening and he could feel his heart squeeze in a way it never had before. He didn’t know what these feelings were, but they were overwhelming. He wanted to scream, he was afraid of opening his mouth in case he did just that. He suspected Jason could feel the hurricane developing inside him because Jason knocked on the door again, “Marinette? Please, open up.”

Damian couldn’t keep sitting there, he was going to explode. He reached for the doorknob and, to their surprise, it was unlocked. He jumped up and slowly opened the door. Inside, the room was in dismay and he saw her purse thrown onto the floor. “Marinette?” The two began looking around, confused and growing a sense of dread neither wanted to address. Damian knelt down and looked inside the purse, he saw Kaalki’s box, but Tikki wasn’t there at all.

“Did you find anything?”

Damian pressed his lips together in a fine line, “She took her miraculous.”

Jason sighed in relief, “Okay, so she probably just left or something.”

Damian let his brother bask in his ‘realization’, but Damian’s tension only grew. “Why is the room a mess then?”

“I mean, when I freak out I can get destructive.”

“And you really think she’s like that?”

“I’m guessing here, man. I don’t know.”

A crash interrupted any response Damian was about to give to Jason and the two froze. Both boys sprang into action, sprinting out the door and through the hallways. Sounds of a struggle louder and soon the two met up with some familiar faces. “Adrien? Nino?”

Adrien looked around, frantic and panting, “Marinette isn’t with you?”

Jason shook his head, “She wasn’t even in the room. We’re guessing she took her miraculous and left.”

Adrien and Nino looked at each other before shaking their heads. Nino adjusted his hat, “No way, dude. Marinette wouldn’t use the miraculous like that. She wouldn’t abandon the ship if she thought Hawkmoth was on the ship.” Another crash demanded the four boys’ attention and they continued their search for its origin. More running passengers and crewmembers caused the tension to rise and awful feelings stir in their guts.

Adrien yelled at the other three, “It has to be an Akuma!”

Jason jaw tensed, “Where the hell is Marinette?”

“Adrien!” The four skid to a stop and they saw a small group of girls running up to them, against the crowd. Lila came to the front and panted, “We think Marinette caused an Akuma. She was talking with that redhead crew member and next thing we knew, everyone was running.”

Before any of the boys could say anything, mainly things to try to dissect what they assumed was a lie, Alix nodded. She gulped, “We all saw it. Marinette bumped into her and made her drop her clipboard. To be fair, Lila thinks the lady was already upset but she wasn’t akumatized until Marinette knocked into her.”

Lila nodded and frowned, “Marinette was probably the straw that broke the camel’s back.” 

Rose sent Lila a look that Nino and Adrien have never seen cross her face before, “Lila, Marinette would never cause an Akuma on purpose!”

Juleka nodded, “She probably just fell. She’s clumsy.”

“I never said she did it on purpose!”

Damian growled and grabbed Rose by the shoulders, “I don’t have time for this! Where is she now?”

Rose blinked and her brows furrowed. With a shaky hand, she pointed down a hallway that was now bare of people. Most of them already hiding in their room or running into a different part of the ship thankfully giving them less resistance. Damian let go and started running, leaving Nino to thank the girls before following.

Running towards an open area of the ship and they caught a glimpse of a girl, in a familiar dress, being held by the said Akuma. A chorus of boys yelling could be heard echoing in the adjacent hallways, “Marinette!”

The Akuma turned around, revealing to be a woman wearing neutral colors. Her hair’s saturation was dulled down as well and she just looked numb. However, her eyes were cold and calculating. She narrowed her eyes at the boys and frowned. Marinette looked between the boys and the Akuma and shook her head, terror clear in her face. Before any of the boys made it out of the hallway, the entrance to the main atrium was suddenly attacked. Years of fighting and dodging kicked in and the boys all did what they could to avoid the impact of whatever was throwing the punch. The floor cracked under the pressure and Jason was the first to get a good look at the attacker.

He yelled, exasperated, “Another one?”

The second Akuma was an almost perfect mirror to the first one. It was clearly the same person, no differences in their physical features, however, the aesthetics were opposites of each other. This one was vibrant in her colors, the clothes changing and swirling with different hues of red and orange reminiscent of the fire in her hair. Her rage seeped through every pore and her snarl was front and center.

Adrien shook his head, “No, the same one. Different version.” He pushed himself off the floor and looked behind the woman in front of him to get a better look at his partner, “Marinette!”

Marinette tried to shake her arm free from the Akuma, but her grip was too strong. Marinette called back, “Just go! Get Ladybug!”

Jason and Damian circled the more colorful of the two Akumas carefully. Jason growled, “We can’t you took the miraculous!”

She looked confused for a moment, but Damian maneuvered his way around the Akuma and kicked her in the back. The Akuma stumbled forward and Jason punched the woman, effectively knocking her down. The one holding Marinette frowned, her voice stayed monotone but threatening, “You’ll pay for that.” A flash of panic passed over Marinette’s face and she threw herself onto the Akuma, grabbing somewhere along the woman’s collar. The woman scowled and threw Marinette to the side, the extra strength the akumatization provided caused the girl to fly across the room and the crash of the impact caused almost everyone in the room to freeze.

“Marinette!” Damian made a b-line to the limp body on the other side of the atrium, but he was intercepted by the Akuma. Damian scowled at the woman’s speed and got into a defensive stance. He could hear some struggles behind him, meaning the other one must’ve picked herself back off the ground. “Marinette, answer us!” While the silence in the suite hurt, the silence here could’ve been enough to kill him. His eyes locked onto the woman’s before him and he threatened through clenched teeth, “Let me through.”

The Akuma didn’t flinch and her Irish accent bled through as she spoke, “What a _poor crature_. Your emotions are clouding your judgment.” When she intercepted his route to Marinette, he made the mistake of thinking that was her top speed. He didn’t even see her make the final few steps into his personal space. Instead, he blinked and she placed two fingers on his forehead. Things went white as she whispered into his ear, “Separate.”

“Damian!”

Nino was accustomed to his normalcy. His calm demeanor didn’t alert people to enemies for the most part and he used the distractions to make his way to Marinette. Adrien was relieved that one of them could make it over to his lady, but didn’t know who to help first. He wondered briefly if he should transform, but knowing Marinette was still here he had no alibi. Their identities were compromised enough, if only to each other, but they valued their secrets. He knew better than to jeopardize it on an impulse. Adrien watched as Nino turned Marinette onto her back, but it unnerved him to see her move like a rag doll.

Jason tried to watch the girl in front of him. Her colors mixed around like a lava lamp in her clothes, making her hard to look at. He noted the flash of light and looked past the Akuma’s shoulder and noticed two boys slumped on the floor. “Damian?”

The two boys stirred and looked back, one of them examined the room and the situation with an unreadable face and the other looked around confused before snarling back at the woman. “What the hell did you do to me?”

The unfazed one looked around before sighing, “I get it now. She divided us into two beings, the logical one and the emotional one.”

Nino put his hand in front of her nose, relief coming in waves when he could feel her soft breaths against the back of his hand. Nino looked over at Adrien and nodded, making the tension in his shoulders dissipate. Adrien called out to Damian, “Hey, she’s still not waking up!”

The two boys tensed and looked behind the uninterested Akuma who was now setting their sights on Jason. Both had their brows furrow and eyes widen at the sight, but the emotional Damian was the one to yell out her name and make another run for it. The Akuma allowed this and made her way over to a struggling Jason. Adrien ran to Jason’s side and got into a defensive stance, ready to fight alongside him.

Meanwhile, the two Damians skid to a stop and dropped to their knees in front of the body. A loud grunt and subsequent bang made the three look back. Nightwing, Red Robin, and Batman all stood between Jason, Adrien, and the Akumas. Nino sighed in relief, “Perfect. Let’s get her out of here.” The emotional Damian didn’t hesitate to try to pick Marinette up. Normally, he wouldn’t break a sweat. Now, he was winded before he even brought himself to his feet. The analytic Damian watched his counterpart struggle and yelled over at the vigilantes, “Don’t let them touch you! If she splits you, you’ll weaken in power! The neutral one is speed-oriented!”

The masked men all nodded as Adrien and Jason made their over to Marinette. Adrien picked her up with ease and they all started running away and down the hallway. “Why isn’t she waking up?”

“No clue, but let’s take her to one of the lounges to lay her down. We can watch over her and you guys can go find the girls.” A silent agreement passed over them as they adjusted their route to the nearest lounge. Adrien laid her down carefully on one of the sofas and frowned before Nino pulled his friend away and out the door.

Jason put a hand on the emotional Damian’s shoulder, “Hey, how are you-”

The analytical Damian cut in, “Go change into Red Hood and help. We’ll stay here.” Jason hesitated for a moment, but ultimately nodded and ran off.

Left alone, one half pet the girl’s head down while the other paced. The emotional one frowned, “Marinette, wake up. Come on, we need you.” He groaned and felt the exhaustion from the day hit him, “It’s not even 6.” 

One completely ignored the other as they continued to ponder, “Where’s Tikki?”

“I don’t know.”

“Why was her room a mess?”

“I don’t-”

“Why isn’t she waking up?”

“It was a hard throw!”

“Not hard for her. She’s been through worse, we’ve seen worse.”

He flinched thinking about all the hits he’s seen her take in the recent Akuma attacks. “That was when she had magic.”

“Even so, she shouldn’t have been knocked out.” A few beats passed and he snapped his fingers, “Unless, she’s like us.”

“Like us?”

“Split.” Both boys looked at the door and a tired, stern-looking Marinette stood in the doorway. She looked at herself laying practically lifeless on the couch and didn’t react. Instead, she walked over and looked over the body. “Tikki?”

The red kwami flew out from under the girl’s skirt, “I’m sorry Marinette, it was the only place to hide after you threw the purse.”

“You’re fine. Just tell me if I can still become Ladybug.” The red kwami nodded and the girl nodded back with a newfound determination.

“You can’t fight!” Marinette turned to the boy doting over her counterpart and the emotional Damian continued, “We’re weaker in this state!”

“I know. I’m hoping the miraculous will counteract that.”

The other Damian turned to her and hummed, “You really think that’ll work?”

“Can’t afford not to try.”

The boy by the couch looked over the unconscious girl and Damian frowned, “Can you at least come up with a plan first? So you don’t end up like her.”

Marinette looked at the analytical Damian and narrowed her eyes, “Fine.” She pointed at the body and addressed the emotional half, “You look over the body.” She turned back to the analytical half, “You need to fill me in.” He nodded and motioned for them to walk back towards the Akuma as they discussed.

He filled her in on what he saw, which included her other half being thrown against the wall and the Akuma’s power. They walked at a brisk pace, knowing that they were needed but hesitant to throw themselves in. “What are you thinking?”

“I’m thinking I need to see what the situation is and get Cat Noir.”

“How are you going to do that? You left Kaalki in the den.”

She didn’t show any outward reaction, but her voice held a new sense of tension, “I’ll figure it out.”

“He’s on the ship then?”

She stopped and turned to face him, “Damian, I don’t think now is the time to play detective.”

“I’m just trying to help you work out your plan.”

She didn’t change in expression, “Between your brothers and Cat Noir, we can overwhelm her and use my lucky charm. She shouldn’t be too bad. She doesn’t seem to be trying to take revenge against someone, she seems to just be having a bad day.” She hummed, “She also isn’t talking to Hawkmoth.”

He watched her thoughts become overtaken with thoughts of the villain and snapped his fingers in front of her, “We have to figure out this Akuma first Marinette.”

She nodded, “Like I said, we’ll be fine.”

“Will we?”

She examined his expression, neutral in nature but his question was a double-edged sword. “I think I can beat Tess. I doubt she’ll be the one who finally beats me.”

Damian nodded and paused for a moment before asking, “Marinette, are we going to be okay?”

“I don’t know.” She looked up at the ceiling as she thought, “I never thought I’d hear that from you. From anyone. I was scared. To be honest, I’m a bit scared of you now.”

He nodded, “Understandable.”

“Logically, I should run. I know that.”

“So why aren’t you running?”

Her neutral expression hid uncertainty, “You know what it’s like when your mind is screaming one thing and your heart is pulling you somewhere else? It’s infuriating.”

“Where was your heart pulling you?”

“Back to you.” The silence was sweet for a moment, if only to her because she didn’t have to go into further detail, and she turned back to Tikki. “Are you ready?”

The kwami blinked, almost forgetting the urgency of the situation and jarred by how open the two were without their emotions. Tikki nodded, “Whenever you’re ready.”

“Spots on.” The transformation consumed her and she felt normal. She felt like she had the same amount of energy she usually had as Marinette, but not the same level of energy she normally had as Ladybug. She knew this was going to be tricky, but she sent Cat Noir a quick message and got ready to take off. She figured as soon as he saw her, Adrien would transform and see it.

“Wait.” She turned back to Damian, both still stone-faced, “You’re telling Marinette to run, the girl on the couch is telling Marinette to stay, what exactly is Marinette going to do when we’re back to normal?”

Ladybug’s eyes darted around the room as she pondered the question, “I think the reason this is so hard is that I can tell you aren’t a bad person. Knowing that you did that is hard for me.”

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

“Probably because I don’t have one for you yet.” She licked her lips, “I need to think about it more. You have to admit, that’s a lot to process.”

Damian gave her a curt nod and made some steps forward until he came face to face with the heroine. She examined his every move as she waited for his reaction. He simply leaned down and placed a kiss gently on her cheek. His monotone voice broke through the heavy air suddenly engulfing them, “I only told you that because I’m worried. I don’t want my bad karma to affect you too. I didn’t want anything to happen to you and I want to give you an out before you got too attached.” When he pulled away, neither showed any outward signs of affection or embarrassment, able to only examine the other.

Ladybug didn’t react, she couldn’t without her other half, but she knew as soon as she was whole she’d become even more conflicted. “You’re going to give me whiplash.”

“But you’re still here.”

Ladybug didn’t say anything in response. She just stepped back, the two having a few moments of eye contact as if to supplement the lack of communication, and Ladybug ran towards the direction of the main atrium. Damian just watched her run off, knowing he really couldn’t help her in this state and waited until she was out of sight to walk back to the lounge. He had a lot to think about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was sick this week which is why the chapter is late. If it's bad, I'm so sorry.


	13. Plunging Waves

“So sweetheart-”

“_Ladybug_!”

“_Whatever_! Akumas are your territory! What do we do?”

“Now is not the time to fight with the magical girl who can fix everything, Hood!”

“Oh yeah, real nice Nig- On your left!” Nightwing snapped his head over and dodged the fiery Akuma’s fist with a flip and glared at the girl.

“Aren’t you a little old to be throwing a tantrum?” The girl growled and red reached her ears as she grew angrier. Nightwing whistled, “Oh, hit a nerve?”

“Nightwing, we don’t want to make her even worse!” Batman kept his focus on the neutral one. She seemed to be hanging back and choosing to watch the fights. It worried him. She seemed to have her head on straight while the other was just going based off of emotions and impulse. He didn’t like how closely she tried to examine everything. He was lucky enough that he not only had three out of the four most annoying boys in the history of Gotham, but he also had the most _eccentric_ cat boy in Paris fighting alongside him.

“I don’t know! The colors are really CAT-ching my interest!” A chorus of groans echoed, making Cat Noir grin as he easily caught up to the neutral Akuma. He laughed as he ran circles around her. She might be too fast for the Gotham vigilantes, but he had the magic of the Black Cat miraculous. Even if she was theoretically faster, his instincts and honed-in reflexes more than made up for it when she tried to get away. “Hey, guys! I don’t know if this is a heart and mind split. She’s glaring at me like she really hates me!”

“With those puns, so will I if you keep going!” Red Robin came up from behind Cat Noir after Cat Noir blocked an attack with his baton. Red Robin tried to counter the Akuma and she stumbled, just what he wanted. He smirked and tried to land a blow that would normally knock his opponents out. Instead, he was surprised to find that in the blink of an eye she was gone and his staff broke the deck’s wooden floor. “That can’t be good.”

Cat Noir gulped, “Probably not.” Cat Noir was suddenly kicked into Red Robin and the Akuma went back to watching the fights. Batman shook his head, annoyed at his son and the Parisian hero. He threw some batarangs at the girl. She didn’t even flinch as they exploded in front of her. She fell back and he took that time to run in and focus on her. If either girl was the leader, Batman figured it’d be her calling the shots.

Ladybug hung back and watched the boys fight, much like the Akuma did. However, it was because she didn’t know how much she could handle. She didn’t feel like Ladybug, she feels like Marinette with a magic yo-yo. She hated when Akuma’s did this to her. She usually counted on Cat Noir to make up the difference, but they’ve all got their hands full with this pair of Akumas. Ladybug watched the two closely. They were opposites, it was hard to believe they were halves of the same person. She wondered what exactly set Tess off. She didn't get the chance to ask before she was suddenly faced with the Akumatized women and was split herself. She knows she should be helping, but was still hesitant to get involved.

Red Robin growled as he picked himself and Cat Noir off the ground and lunged towards the stone-faced Akuma. Cat Noir chose to stalk the girl and try to flank her on the left. If he was honest, the more he watched this one the more he was unnerved by her. The annoyance towards him came and went in a flash, and he’s sure he saw it, but something happened and she’s back to being emotionless.

“Ladybug, use your Lucky Charm!”

“Not yet!” She knew hanging back wasn’t going to do anything. She needed to get intimate. She decided to go for the impulsive one. She might’ve been angry and more aggressive, but she could use her impulsivity to her advantage. She wrapped her yo-yo around Nightwing’s torso, surprising him for a moment, until she pulled and swung it around. He caught on quickly. Nightwing used the momentum to launch himself and land a solid kick to the face. The poor girl didn’t stand a chance. Akuma or not, anyone would be knocked out by that. Ladybug mentally thanked Tikki for giving her enough strength for that to work, but she was left panting.

Cat Noir failed to make contact with his baton again as the Akuma he fought was recognizing his patterns. He growled and almost went in for another attack, but his ear twitched as he picked up on his partner’s panting. He grit his teeth and dove to the side, disorienting the Akuma as she was expecting another frontal attack and giving Red Robin and Batman another opening to do some damage. He scurried over to Ladybug’s side and looked her over, “Ladybug-”

“I’m fine.”

“You’re not.”

“Cat Noir, where is the akumatized object?” He frowned and narrowed his eyes at her before sighing. She was being stubborn and going into a “strictly business” persona. He figured it had to do with Damian, but this wasn’t the time or place to continue down that path. Right now, she was right. He needed to focus. 

He looked over and watched as Nightwing ran over to help Red Robin and Batman while Red Hood walked over and examined the girl slumped over against the wall. Her colors faded slightly, but something told him it wouldn’t last. Cat Noir licked his lips, “We think it’s in the clipboard. At least that’s the only lead we have based off what some of the girls said, but she doesn’t even have it on her. Honestly, I’m not sure.”

“Hey guys, there’s something else on Little Miss Tantrum over here!” Suddenly, the colors came back with a vengeance and Red Hood was thrown back into the two teen heroes. When they looked up, the girl was picking herself off the ground and scowling. She glared and seemed to be almost on fire the way the sun was hitting her.

“Okay, that hurt. Now I’m mad.”

“That’s never good to hear. That’s usually when they level up-” The Akuma’s colors seemed to spin inside her chaotically. All of a sudden they were face to face with an incoming fireball. The three ducked and Red Hood sounded done, “There it is.”

“I was wondering when we’d face a fire-based Akuma again.”

“Cat Noir, please.” 

Nightwing ducked, missing the Akuma’s kick by inches. He watched as Red Hood and Batman took the opportunity to lunge at her while she regained her balance. He called out to the red and black heroine, “Hey Ladybug, can you summon the Lucky Charm _now_?” Nightwing didn’t like fighting this girl either. However, he realized that he recognized the face she wore. The doll-like eyes and the lack of expression were too familiar. It was at that point that he knew they were going about this all wrong. “Lady-”

“Lucky Charm!” A pair of wire cutters is what the Miraculous decided to give her. She looked around, looking for things to use, but instead noticed movement around the border of the arena. She recognized them as her classmates. They were all sneaking around the hallways leading to the deck and the upper deck’s balcony overlooking their battlefield. She didn’t know if they distracted her or if she was off her game, but she didn’t see anything to work with.

“Ladybug-”

“I’m thinking!” She grit her teeth and threw herself to the right after another fireball was sent her way. “Cat Noir, Red Hood, keep her off me while I look for things to use!”

“On it!”

“I’m bringing out my guns!”

“RED HOOD-”

“SHUT UP! It’s knock out gas! The bullets let some out on impact and should at least disorient them!”

Red Robin groaned as he blocked another attack with his staff. The girl didn’t seem to even register any pain after his left hook landed. It was starting to irritate him. He yelled over his shoulder, “If it hits me again, I swear to God-”

“It’s your own damn fault if you get hit, dumbass!” Red Hood took out some gun that glimmered as the sun’s rays hit them just right. It gave Red Hood a feeling of pride and euphoria looking at them. He wished there was time to admire his babies, but then again there’s another fireball incoming. Cat Noir quickly came between him and the attack and spun his baton quickly, creating a barrier and making the fireball dissipate before it made contact. “Thanks, tomcat.”

The blond rolled his eyes, but still held a playful grin. “_Cat Noir_ and anytime.”

“You can bond on your own time, look alive!” Batman, at any given time, would’ve been able to incapacitate her. She had no fighting skills, this should’ve been easy. So why was he still fighting? “Red Robin!”

Red Robin growled, hitting the wooden deck for the third time, “I don’t know what you want me to say! I don’t know what’s happening!” She did a sweep kick from behind, knocking him down onto the floor and quickly scrambled on top of him.

“No you don’t, Ice Queen!” Nightwing threw one of his batons at her. It hit its target and knocked her back, giving Red Robin enough wiggle room to push her completely off. She held her cheek and glared at Nightwing. He felt a bit of relief seeing something, anything, other than a blank slate. She was still a person in there, at least he hoped.

Red Hood dove to the side as Cat Noir continued to try to shield him, “Ice Queen?”

Nightwing shrugged as he swiped at the Akuma glaring at him, “If they’re supposed to be two sides of the same coin, then a nice contrast from the human torch over there would be ice.”

“You just had to bring up Frozen somehow, didn’t you?” Red Hood took a few more shots, all of them failing to reach the Akuma as she intercepted with her own burning projectiles. He grew frustrated but called back over his shoulder, “One, I hate that name and I swear if you call her something stupid I will shoot you. Two, I’m calling this one ‘Fume’.”

Cat Noir dove in front of the man to intercept another ball of fire thrown at him. Red Hood reloaded and Cat Noir looked back at the gunman, “Fume?”

“’Fume’ could be talking about fire or someone getting really upset about something. Either way, that’s the only thing I can think of that fits.” Red Hood and Cat Noir jumped apart from each other. Cat Noir decided to take an aggressive approach, drawing fire, as Red Hood continued to shoot. His ears wiggled as he picked up on some beeping. Four minutes left.

Red Robin threw the baton back at Nightwing and he grabbed his own staff. Batman took the opportunity to shoot his grappling gun at the girl stalking towards Nightwing. The hook caught onto her and he yanked the rope towards him before she could react. Red Robin flinched when she got a good taste of Batman’s punches. He knew what they felt like from working alongside and through sparring with the Gotham’s finest. He shook his head, “Wouldn’t it be better to name her ‘Blaze’? That’s fire-related too and WAY better than ‘Fume’! _That’s_ a stupid name!”

Ladybug gulped as she helped out Cat Noir in keeping Red Hood safe from the fire being thrown. She grunted and scolded the boys, “Is this really what we need to be talking about right now? I’m running out of time!” She looked around, trying to piece together in her head possible solutions.

She called out to the boys, sensing an oncoming migraine, “I’m not calling her Ice Queen! Just call her Tess at this point!” She knew something was off. Frustration and worry were slowly growing inside her. It confused her. If this wasn’t a clean separation of logic and emotion, then what’s the power supposed to represent?

Nightwing didn’t even get the chance to respond when he noticed something about the woman in front of him. She blinked and suddenly all the emotion, the anger, was gone. He saw nothing but emptiness as she sprang forward. Tess stopped in her tracks as she was intercepted by a rogue fireball.

This hiccup allowed Red Robin and Batman to throw their batarangs at the Akuma. While they hit the mark and made her falter, Batman didn’t even try to go after her. Red Robin tried to with this new opening, so did Nightwing, but Batman watched carefully as she just disappeared. He looked around and found her behind Blaze, roughly grabbing her arm. Batman watched as the dubbed ‘Ice Queen’ spun Blaze around and stare her down. The Akuma’s fire started to die down and her colors became duller.

Tess held a stern tone, “What did I tell you about flying off the handle?”

“Let go.” The urgent beeping coming from Ladybug’s earrings was drowned out by the sudden tension that held the group captive as they watched the two interact. This was an opportunity, they all knew it was, but something in their guts told them to watch. They could tell this was going to be bad, but they became an audience to whatever was about to unfold.

The heroes and vigilantes all watched as Blaze tried to pull away unsuccessfully and the other girl’s grip grew tighter. “How many times do we go through this? Do that again and you might as well break another glass in your hand like a dumbass.” Tess finally let go and Ladybug noticed both rubbed the area of their arms that the girl clutched. She continued to stare down Blaze and sarcastically belittled her. “Oh, now you’re upset? What a poor little _crature_.” The fiery girl’s embers flickered and she hesitantly turned back to her opponents.

Seeing all eyes on her made her colors come back and her fire return, “What are you looking at?” The Akuma stepped back and simply watched her flaming counterpart direct her anger towards the ship’s protectors. However, her expression suggested she’s seen this happen before. Blaze threw a few fireballs in their direction as warning shots.

She drew a shaky breath as none of the masked heroes flinched. They just kept watching her, some with pity, some with understanding, and then there was Ladybug. Ladybug simply watched, her expression buried deep inside. It was suffocating. “Stop that.” The girl could feel herself losing control, “I SAID STOP LOOKING AT ME LIKE THAT!”

The six dodged the flurry of fireballs that erupted from the girl. Her outburst triggered something. The other half watched with a rare expression, a mix of disappointment and disgust. Ladybug really couldn’t wrap her mind around it as they all continued the fight. The neutral one disappeared, but she didn’t pop up behind one of her challengers. Nightwing’s Ice Queen simply popped back up beside the railings and leaned against it. She watched with the same expression on her face as the other Akuma rampaged.

Red Robin finally murmured to himself, “Oh my god, she teleports.” He felt like an idiot, “Guys, she teleports!”

Red Hood grunted as he threw himself to the right to avoid a direct hit, “Wow! What gave it away? The fact that she kept disappearing in front of you or the fact that she just showed up across the deck?”

“Boys!”

Another round of beeping distracted Ladybug and she was knocked back by one of Blaze’s projectiles. Two minutes.

She was thankful for the magic, but still felt frustrated that she couldn’t figure out what to do with her Lucky Charm. She picked herself up and figured she’d be best as the shield. Ladybug and Cat Noir were the only two with magical weapons to use against the Akuma’s attacks. In her state, she knew this was her best bet. Especially when she still couldn’t figure out how to use her Lucky Charm. She jumped in front of Batman and Nightwing and spun her yo-yo around.

The human shield act worked in a sense. They blocked, the others attacked, the offenders retreated behind the defense, rinse and repeat. All it did was tire all parties out. All parties expect for the Akuma watching by the railings. Red Hood has fired more than a few rounds throughout the fight. All have been intercepted by Blaze’s fireballs. Tess continued to teleport around the border, making her an even harder target to hit. Still, she didn’t get involved. It was frustrating and only ended with them most of them panting.

Ladybug heard her last round of beeping from her earrings. Time was running out. Her team was getting tired and running out of ammo. She didn’t have a plan. Ladybug finally felt something intense for the first time since being split. She felt overwhelmed and unsure. She felt her heart rate increase dramatically. Another push back, another attack, and another moment to shield. “We aren’t getting anywhere with this!”

56 seconds.

Red Hood growled as another round was wasted on the Akumas. He looked in his reserves and realized he had one clip left. The rest were normal bullets, tempting but unethical. He wouldn’t hear the end of it. “Well, miss fire crotch over there won’t let us leave and she’s not stopping anytime soon!” Batman glared at Red Hood and Jason knew he was going to get his ear talked off later.

50 seconds.

She was about to head back into the fight when she was suddenly blinded by something. Ladybug looked up and saw Marinette and Damian motioning her to come up and over the upper deck’s railing. She looked back and saw that Cat Noir noticed the signal. He simply nodded and she nodded back before using her yo-yo to launch herself to the two teens.

43 seconds.

The two stumbled back as Ladybug landed in front of them, “What is it? What are you doing here? What is everyone-”

“Yes, yes, lots of questions. Blah blah, what’s the Lucky Charm?” Ladybug blinked at Marinette and simply handed her the wire cutters. Marinette turned to Damian, “Will this-”

“It’s perfect. I’ll be working with Max on the sound.” The two nodded and Ladybug watched Damian ran away with her Lucky Charm.

She was clueless. “What just-”

“Switch with me.”

“What?”

32 seconds.

“Switch with me.” Marinette grabbed Ladybug’s arm and started pulling her into the ship. They passed a few of her classmates as they all ran around, doing different tasks and carrying around a variety of items. Most nodded at her and sent her thumbs up, but it only made Ladybug more confused. Marinette soon threw her into an empty lounge and closed the door behind her. “De-transform.”

4 seconds.

“Tell me what’s going on first.” She knew it was pointless to ask since time’s already up.

Ladybug felt stripped from her power and Tikki appeared in front of the two girls. Marinette pulled out a macaroon and tossed it to Tikki as she pulled out her phone. “What’s going on?”

“I had an idea. A crazy, dumb, awesome idea.”

“Will you please-”

“Marinette, I just fed Kaalki and-” Marinette analyzed the person in front of her and just stared bewildered. This person was using the horse miraculous, that much as obvious, but she didn’t recognize him. He wasn’t Max.

The uniform was different, rather than a fitted bodysuit this one a more dignified look to it. The top looked almost like a blazer if it wasn’t for the protective padding and the pants were loose and dressy rather than fitted. Still, it wasn’t a tux or full suit like Hawkmoth’s costume was. It was definitely made to fight in, she could tell right away. It just simply looked better and had darker colors. The boy’s hair was still tied back in a ponytail but it was long and dark. The glasses were a slightly different shape, but instead of cool like they were for Max they gave off an intimidating feel.

Marinette watched as her other half walked up to the new wielder, completely unfazed, and motioned for him to continue. “Okay, okay, yes. He’s new. Oh my god, shiny. You got any updates for me?”

The boy blinked and shook his head, “Updates, right. Everything is set up and everyone is in position. Damian managed to work quickly and get that wire cut for the speakers.”

“Speakers?”

“Speakers.” The girl grinned and bounced in place, “This is going to be so much fun!”

Her other half just narrowed her eyes at her, “What exactly is going on and who is this?”

She stopped bouncing and the two shared a look before groaning. She took a deep breath before starting to ramble, “Okay so after I got knocked out they brought me to the room right?”

“Yes.”

She jabbed at the new wielder, “So I woke up to this guy standing over me and I punched him.”

“Completely uncalled for, by the way. I got mad and we ended up in a screaming match.”

“And then Damian came in and asked what was going on and I got really upset because _come on_, it’s hard enough to handle one of him.”

“Wow, thanks.”

Marinette blinked and motioned at the boy in front of her, “So this is Damian?”

“Yes. So Damian calmed me down while the other Damian sulked in a corner.”

“I did not sulk!”

“Yes, you absolutely did. Anyway, he told me about the Akuma and I made them go get my phone and Kaalki while they filled me in.”

“After getting her phone we looked at Alya’s livestream. One, that girl has no regard for personal safety. Two, we saw that the numb one was teleporting and the other one was fire-based.”

“Numb?”

The excited Marinette nodded, “Numb.” She pulled out her phone and rewinded the video a bit, focusing in on Tess’s face. “She looks just like we did after being thrown off the ship.”

Watching the video over made it undeniable, “So she’s numb.”

“Something must’ve happened because she keeps pushing her emotions down.”

“How does that explain Blaze then?”

The two blinked, “Blaze?”

Marinette rolled her eyes at the two in front of her, “The fire one.”

“Oh!” She watched her other half’s face become somber, “Do you remember how hard it was for Dick to get me out of that? Do you remember how conflicted I was? Everything in my head told me to stop and that I don’t know this guy and to just push it down. Just like I always do.”

The calmer Marinette nodded and hummed, “So this isn’t a smart and a dumb split. She’s at war with herself and doesn’t know how to handle it.”

The more excitable one left Damian’s side and grabbed her other half’s shoulders, “She doesn’t want to do it, but she needs release. Just like I did. That’s what this is about.”

Marinette thought about how Tess scolded Blaze and nodded. “Okay, so what’s the plan and why does Damian have Kaalki? And if Blaze is rampaging, doesn’t that count as a release?”

The girl smiled so wide it probably hurt, “I thought you’d never ask! But first-” She pointed at the new hero, “you need to go find the others and get them into position.” He nodded and ran out of the room, closing the door behind him. “Okay, so for the second part of that question I think it has something to do with this!” She held up a chain with half of a heart on it.

“What am I looking at?”

“I think this is where the Akuma is hiding. I pulled it off on Tess before she threw me.” She twirled around on her finger, “There’s no way the Akuma is in the clipboard. The clipboard doesn’t have any meaning to it, plus she’s not really using it in any way. But this?” She handed it over and let the girl examine it, “This has meaning.”

“There’s something etched onto this.”

“Not only that, but it looks like it’s missing its other half. It also looks like it probably opens. I think it’s a locket.”

“No wonder we haven’t been making any progress. If you took Tess’s half of the object the other is still on Blaze. We’ve been focusing on the wrong girl this whole time!” She scowled before turning to her other half, “Wait. How did you know she had a necklace? I didn’t see it earlier when we were at the bar.”

Marinette laughed nervously, “I just kind of grabbed at her and got lucky I guess. She must’ve been hiding it under her clothes? I honestly don’t know.” She coughed and looked over at Tikki, “You ready?”

Tikki gulped up the last of the sweet pastry, “Yes.”

“Wait-”

“Spots on!” Marinette suddenly found herself face to face with Ladybug and she wondered if this is how she always looked.

She shook her head remembering that now was not the time to critique herself, “Okay. You figured out how the Akuma works. What’s the plan?”

Ladybug sent out a message to Cat Noir that just said, “Be ready for anything and follow my lead.” He closed her yo-yo and looked up at Marinette, “I just need you to be the center of attention. We’re going to disorient then and we want them both so upset that they both just let it all out.”

“Why do that if we just need to get the locket from Blaze?”

Ladybug turned herself to fully face Marinette, expression becoming unnaturally grim, “Because Ladybug and Cat Noir help people. They don’t just leave people by themselves, they make sure the Akuma victim is okay before leaving. We’ve always done that.”

Marinette thought about for a moment and agreed, they left quickly if they were running out of time but they always tried to talk to the victim. Even if they’re okay right after the fight, they want to just make sure. They don’t just leave if they can help it. If they do, they make sure the victim is somewhere safe or with someone safe. Just like with Lucas.

“How am I supposed to be the center of attention?” Ladybug smiled at her and grabbed her arm before pulling her through the hallways. “Where are we-”

“Ladybug!” The two skidded to a stop and looked back and saw Lila running up to them. Ladybug’s heart skipped a beat in the worst way while Marinette tensed. “Ladybug, thank goodness! We’re all in place but-” She stopped when she made eye contact with Marinette, “Where are you going?”

“She’s helping me with my plan.”

“But Ladybug-”

“Lila, we don’t have time to argue this right now I just need you to be in position and help me pull this off okay? I know you don’t like me-”

Lila quickly interjected, “Of course I do!”

“Lila, I know you don’t. You don’t have to like me. That’s fine, but right now I need you to help me. Not for me, but to make sure everyone else on this ship stays safe. Don’t you want to be a hero?” Lila looked for any signs of Ladybug joking or exaggerating and she didn’t find any.

Lila took a deep breath before sighing and glaring at the two, “Actually, I don’t like either of you.” She looked between the two and shook her head, “Whatever. I was going to say we’re in position but we wanted to know what the signal was.”

“Marinette will be on the phone with Kim while you guys sit on standby. She’ll tell you when.”

Lila looked between the two and hummed, “You two look alike. Interesting.” The two tried their best not to show any outward expressions and Lila just smirked, “That’s terrible, but I guess that Ladybug luck isn’t going to help you out with that.”

Ladybug clenched her fist and stepped towards Lila, getting in her face but keeping her voice low. “Lila, if you keep acting like a little brat no one is going to like you. No one is going to believe you. No one is going to want to stay around you. Grow up.” Ladybug spun on her heel and grabbed Marinette’s arm again and continued on their way down the halls. She didn’t look back, she knew she’d regret it if she did.

But Marinette did. Marinette watched the girl send daggers at them until they turned a corner. Her expression unusually dark, even for Lila, as she just played with her bracelet. Marinette noticed more charms on it, but before she could make any of them out Lila was out of sight.

Even as they got to their destination at the far end of the deck, Marinette was still extremely confused. Even more so as she saw the people hustling around her. They carried instruments and pushed around speakers, larger than the ones Nino had. She recognized the cat-themed costume she made for the band members. She recognized the blue mop of hair from the lead guitarist. Weirdest of all, she saw Damian talking to the new horse miraculous wielder and a very familiar face. “Ryuko?”

The hero turned around and smiled, “Hello. Marinette, right?”

Ryuko didn’t know Marinette well. Ladybug was right next to her. She had to play along. “Right.”

Ryuko sensed her tension because she quickly added, “Not to worry, we’ll protect you and your friends while they’re out on deck.”

“We’re going on deck?”

The three looked at Ladybug and she just groaned, “I didn’t have time. I have to get out there now. Whenever you guys are ready just go for it. I’m heading back out there.”

Marinette grabbed Ladybug’s arm and spun her around, “Wait! How did you come up with this? What is going on? Why-”

Ladybug held up her hand and winked, “You might be smart, but that doesn’t mean much if you can’t get creative. If you don’t see something to use, make something. You’ll figure it out, I’m sure.” Ladybug just waved and left back to the fight while Marinette stayed behind with the band and the heroes. She called out over her shoulder, “We’ll be fine! You’ll see!”

Marinette realized that’s what she was missing: Passion, Confidence, Creativity, and everything it meant to be Ladybug. Ladybug right now looked like a true hero. Deep down, she wondered how far focusing solely on logic would’ve taken her. She scolded herself, she might’ve been less impulsive but she was naïve. She thought she could do this, but had tunnel vision. She was looking for anything that looked like it would work and only that. Ladybug doesn’t just look for solutions, she makes them. Marinette took a deep breath before turning back to the group, “What do you need me to do?”

At this point, Ladybug was running on a high. She wasn’t thinking things through like she normally would, she just wanted to get in on the action. She was nervous. She was excited. Ladybug watched as Cat Noir had his hands full with Blaze. The knucklehead decided to go one-on-one and she just rolled her eyes. She was not surprised. It felt odd to be Ladybug. She felt heavy and her energy wasn’t up to par, but she was too excited to see her plan in action to care.

She threw her yo-yo and wrapped it around Cat Noirs torso, yanking him back and confusing the Akuma. Ladybug snorted watching Cat Noir slide over to her on his butt and he just blinked, “Ladybug?”

“Hey, kitty.” She helped him up and smiled at him. It gave Cat Noir whiplash, “This is going to get fun! Do you remember Balloon-mageddon?”

Cat Noir stood up and nodded, “You mean that time Kim bought up all those water balloons and practically drowned everyone in school?” 

Ladybug nodded back excitedly, “Guess what Kim has been buying at every city since he’s gotten on this ship?” Cat Noir’s eyes widened before one of his famous grins formed on his face.

“When-”

“Just follow my lead!” She ran headfirst into a fight and Cat Noir quickly caught on. He loved how impromptu this felt. As tired as he was, her energy kept him going. The two quickly ran in and went for a frontal attack. Batman jumped away from Tess’s swipe and watched, ready for this to fail, only to watch something weird happen. He noticed Ladybug was different. She was more energized and youthful. Earlier she seemed so serious and held back, now she looked alive and in her element.

Cat Noir threw himself to the ground and slid once he got close to the Akuma. He used his baton to trip Blaze and Ladybug took the opportunity to wrap the yo-yo around her torso before letting the girl fall face first. Ladybug smirked and called over the rest of the boys, “Heads up!” She yelled as she threw the girl over her shoulder into Tess after the boys all jumped away. The girls tumbled and became a tangle of limbs.

Blaze growled and pushed herself up and got fired up. Tess brushed herself off and glared at Ladybug who sent a smug look back. Tess analyzed Ladybug, utterly confused before something clicked. Tess’s eyes opened wide and she muttered to herself, “When did I split you?” Tess suddenly appeared right in front of Ladybug, making her stumble back out of surprise. Tess looked her over and raised her voice, “When did I split you?” Cat Noir extended his baton and thrusted it in between the two.

“Too close.” Ladybug took this chance to put some space in between them.

Nightwing evaded another projectile, “You look like a spring chicken, what happened?”

Red Hood cocked his gun and sent Nightwing a look, “’Spring chicken’? Are you on Social Security or something?”

Tess grabbed Cat Noir’s baton and yanked, pulling him forward and putting two fingers on his forehead, “Separate.”

“Cat Noir!” Cat Noir closed his eyes and flinched, waiting for something to happen. He cracked his eyes open a few seconds later to find that nothing happened. Ladybug blinked and her eyebrows furrowed, “Nothing happened.”

Tess seemed just as confused and Cat Noir looked himself over just to make sure he was intact. “I’m okay.” He sighed in relief before grabbed Tess’s collar, “Now that that’s established, why are you doing this? Just to start a fight?”

Tess frowned, “You don’t know anything about me.”

“Then tell me.” Cat Noir lost his balance once Tess pushed back. Ladybug evened the odds when she struggled against the baton. Cat Noir and Ladybug pushed against this one Akuma hold didn’t even budge.

Tess growled, “I’m having a bad day. Now, I’m not going to waste this opportunity to raise a bit of hell.”

Some static echoed through the air and everyone covered their ears as the volume of the feedback made them think that their heads would split open. The deck vibrated as the words rang through the air, “1! 2! 3! Let’s go!” A large ‘BOOM’ resonated throughout the ship and suddenly the deck was full of smoke.

Music started blasting through the air and the bass was strong enough to extinguish Blaze’s flames. They all looked over and watched the smoke cleared. A group of kids playing loud music with Marinette standing at the very front holding a phone came into view. Marinette stood in between two heroes unfamiliar to the Gotham vigilantes.

Cat Noir blinked and wondered if he took too many hits to the head, “What just happened?”

“Looks like we raised a bit of hell.” Cat Noir just stared wide-eyed at a grinning Ladybug before mirroring her expression and pushing Tess off.

“This’ll be great.”

The music was deafening and while the boys didn’t really know what was going on, Batman saw Tess’s target change. She was glaring directly at the group of kids and Batman briefly wondered who in their right mind would use school kids as bait. He was furious, but not as furious as the Akuma. Tess disappeared and reappeared near the front of the stage, only to be intercepted by the dragon girl’s blade.

Ryuko used her sword to knock Tess back a few feet before declaring herself superior. “I’m probably the fastest one on this deck and the most skilled. You won’t ever get past me.”

Tess mutter a few curses under her breath. Cat Noir was annoying, but at least she could anticipate him and get away. This girl? This girl was going to be an issue. She looked past Ryuko at Marinette. Marinette had her eyes solely on Blaze. Her phone in one hand and the other clenched at her side. Ryuko stepped into Tess’s field of vision and pointed her sword at the girl. “Either you get up and fight honorably or you sit and admit defeat.”

Tess felt frustration bubbling inside her and she hated it. She told herself to keep her cool as she slowly stood up and brushed herself off, never ceasing eye contact with the heroine. “I don’t care if you are the best fighter here, I’m not here for you.”

“Then what are you here for?”

Tess bit her lip before lunging at the girl, unable to really answer her. A few yards back, Blaze was slowly but surely closing the distance between herself and the band playing. Nightwing would frequently look back at the kids and wondered why they didn’t even seem scared. None of them had training or any powers. Did they really have that much faith in Ladybug? He yelled over to the heroine and hoped she’d hear her over the music, “What are you planning?”

She just smiled sweetly before making her way over to Nightwing’s side and leaning in close enough for him to hear her. “The akumatized object is on this one. Trust me.” Ladybug pushed Nightwing back and jumped back as a fireball flew past them Nightwing watched its trajectory and knew it was on a straight path for Marinette. “MARINETTE!” Everyone turned to look, including the Akuma, panicked.

The fireball was soon met with an air bound horseshoe and it dissipated on impact. The horseshoe made its way back to the new horse miraculous wielder. Ladybug smirked and turned back to Blaze, noticing how the closer she got to the speakers the harder it was to keep herself on fire. Both Cat Noir and Ladybug brought themselves front and center to block more attacks. Cat Noir grinned, “Who the new stallion?”

Ladybug’s eyes went wide and she smiled as blocked another attack aimed at Red Robin, “Stallion! That’s a perfect name!”

Red Robin threw his last ranged weapon, “I’m out!”

Nightwing reached for another weapon to throw only to find himself without anything. “I’m out too!”

Any rouge fireballs were confronted with Stallion’s horseshoe. Whenever Ryuko and Tess came too close to Marinette, he made sure to show off his fighting skills in this new, powered-up form until they inevitably continued moving. Marinette didn’t even pay them any mind, focusing solely on Blaze and waiting for her to get into just the right spot. As soon as he heard Damian say Kim and water balloons, she knew exactly where this plan was headed. “Just a few more steps.”

Blaze jumped forward, trying to swipe at Ladybug. Marinette brought the phone up to her ear and screamed into it, “KIM NOW!”

Ladybug looked back at the group, “INCOMING!” The five heroes all looked up to see dozens of water balloons raining down from the upper deck. They realized they were standing right in the middle of the splash zone and Blaze screeched. Steam radiated off of her form and she started panting. “Cat Noir!”

“On it!” Cat Noir ran forward and pinned the girl down onto the deck, Ladybug ran right after him. He pulled her up to a sitting position, “So you going to tell me where the Akuma is?”

Ladybug crouched down in front of the girl and looked around her neck. Sure enough, there was a chain tucked into her undershirt and she reached for it. “Time to end this.” She took a firm grip on the necklace, but before she could yank it off a hand jerked her arm back. Ladybug looked back, only to be punched in the face and thrown off the girl. Cat Noir pulled Blaze up and jumped away from Tess’s next attack while Ladybug got onto her knees. “Ryuko!”

Ryuko quickly put herself in between Cat Noir and Tess, “Wind Dragon!” The air around them became clouded and frenzied as a storm originated from Ryuko’s body. Everyone on the ship struggled to keep themselves upright while Cat Noir took this opportunity to put some distance between himself and the conscious Akuma. The band faltered as they struggled not to fall off the deck and Stallion grabbed a hold of Marinette and crouched down, jamming him horseshoe into the deck and keeping them anchored. The other heroes tried to do the same either with their own weapons or by hanging onto objects bolted to the ground.

As Ryuko’s wind died down, Tess regained her footing. Ryuko took this opportunity to slam her into the ground, “That was for my friends!” Tess groaned as she picked herself up. “It’s over.”

“What-”

“Cat Noir!” Tess looked back to see two things. The first was Blaze beginning to gather her bearings. The second was Cat Noir running to Marinette who held up a locket. Tess touched the area around her neck and gasped when she realized it was bare.

She screamed over to her disoriented other half, “GET UP YOU IDIOT!”

Ryuko pinned Tess down, “That’s enough!”

Red Hood cocked his gun and shot at Blaze. Finally, for the first time during this entire fight, it made contact. Blaze stumbled and her eyes rolled back as she collapsed onto the ground. Red Hood threw his fist into the air, “HELL YEAH! STILL GOT IT!”

Tess watched as Cat Noir reached for the second locket, “CATCA-”

“NO!” Tess pushed Ryuko off her and she felt something. She felt something she hoped she’d never have to feel ever again: panic. Using her powers she found herself in front of the three before any of them could react she lunged for Marinette. All Tess could see was red. She didn’t even notice she tackled the wrong person.

Everyone stopped as they watched Tess beat and bruise the person under her. Stallion was in shock. He didn’t even realize his split form was near the fight. The last thing he thought a rational version of himself would do is push Marinette out of the way when there were two already capable heroes nearby. Yet, here he was, watching himself getting beaten. Blood started to splatter at the third punch. He was ready to react when Marinette forced the locket into Cat Noir’s hands before she threw herself onto the Akuma arm. Tess tried to throw Marinette off, but she latched on. “Let go!”

Marinette looked up and Tess met the eyes of someone she remembered. Someone she was trying to help. Marinette took a shaky breath as she held eye contact as she yelled at the Akuma, “What’s the point of this? What’s the point of any of this? Look at what you’re doing to everyone around you! To yourself, Tess! Is this really what you want?”

Tess blinked, suddenly recognizing her surroundings and taking into account the situation. She looked at the hand Marinette was holding back and noticed a red, slimy substance. She looked down to find a half-dead boy, another friend, panting heavily and bleeding profusely. Tess jumped off of the body and Marinette scrambled to look Damian over. “I didn’t- I didn’t want-”

“Hey!” Everyone looked back to see Blaze slowly making her way over. Batman growled and knocked the girl back, “Get back!”

“Stop!” Tess ran over to her other form and spread her arms wide as she shielded Blaze. “Stop. Please, stop! I didn’t mean to. I don’t know what came over me-”

“I’m pathetic.” Tess looked back at a Blaze getting onto her hands and knees as she struggled against the knock out gas’s effects. “You remember what dad used to call me?” Tess didn’t want to react. She held her composure until Blaze looked up and she was forced to stare herself right in the eyes. “He used to tell me all the time, ‘What a poor _crature_’.” Blaze looked up at Marinette fusing over Damian as she struggled to help him sit up, “Mom never said anything. She just let him drink and yell and bully us. She used to say the same thing when I came to her all beaten and bruised too.” She laughed bitterly, “Now look at me. I date men who hurt or cheat on me. My drinking is just as bad as his at this point, too.”

Tess bit her lip and her voice cracked, “That wasn’t my fault.”

“No it wasn’t, but look around. This! This is my fault!” Tess took in the damage and for the first time actually registered how bad it was. She saw frightened and bruised kids, holes all around the deck, and men glaring at her just like her father used to. Tess felt sick. Blaze watched as Cat Noir and Ladybug moved towards them, “So what’ll happen now? Am I going to jail?”

Ladybug crouched down and placed a hand on the girl’s shoulder, “No. I’m going to fix this.”

“How?” Tess gulped, “How the hell are you going to fix this? Everything here is broken! I am broken!” She took a few more shaky breaths and squeezed herself, “I’m better than this! I’m supposed to keep it together! I can’t- I’m not-”

“Did you really think you could hold it in forever without consequences?” Tess looked over at Cat Noir as he put himself directly in front of her. Being under his watch was becoming intense, “Did you really think telling yourself that and pushing everything down was going to make everything better?” He motioned behind him, “Look around! All you did ended up doing was worsening the fallout.” Tess opened and closed her mouth while Cat Noir sighed, “You have to let yourself deal with these things. If you don’t it becomes too much and you’ll just end up hurting yourself, pushing other people away, or both.” Cat Noir pursed his lips together and closed the gap between them, squeezing her form and making Tess freeze in his arms, “Feeling bad emotions doesn’t make you a bad person, Tess. You’re allowed to be mad and sad just as much as you allowed to be happy. You just need to let it out and deal with it.”

Blaze watched the interaction between them unfold and instead of getting angry, she felt some tears streaming down her face. She couldn’t help it, she started purging herself of everything. Hearing Blaze give in opened the flood gates for Tess. She ended up collapsing in Cat Noir’s arms and started bawling. Ladybug and Cat Noir simply looked at each other as they rubbed circles into the girls’ backs and Cat Noir mumbled, “Cataclysm.” He watched as both lockets disintegrated in his hand and a black butterfly flew out. The two girls reformed into one crying woman and Ladybug stood up.

Ladybug didn’t feel like taking pride in this as she captured and purified the Akuma. Everyone watched as it flew away and she called on a new lucky charm. She could’ve laughed at how fitting the damn thing was. It was a photo of a family; two little girls and a man playing. She threw it up into the air and watched as the ladybugs started to fix and move everything back into place. Marinette and Damian disappeared, as did many of the props for the band and all the damage to the deck. She felt energized again, but now she felt even more conflicted as Cat Noir’s words echoed in the back of her head. When did he get so good with emotions anyway? Then again, he always was the more empathetic type.

“What’s going on?” She looked back to see a confused Tess being helped up by Cat Noir. She was using her American accent, “Who are you? I mean, I know Batman and his group but I don’t really recognize you two. Are you with him?”

That’s right, she wouldn’t remember. She ignored the first warning signs from Cat Noir’s ring and plastered a reassuring smile on her face. “This time we were. You put up quite the fight, ma’am.”

Tess’s eyes went wide and her Irish roots really shined, “The hell are you talking about, lady? What fight?” She groaned and smacked her forehead, “Please tell me I didn’t get drunk just to pick a fight with some superheroes.” She rubbed her temples, “That is the last thing I need right now.”

Cat Noir laughed, “No! No! You just… weren’t yourself. By the way, is this yours?” He held up a fully intact locket with her name etched on it. She gasped and quickly took hold of the thing, opening it up to reveal a picture inside. Cat Noir leaned over to get a better look, “Who are those people?”

“My dad and me. He gave this to me when I was 13.” She smiled sadly at the locket before putting it back around her neck, “Thank you.”

Before Ladybug could respond, Batman stepped forward and placed a hand on the girl’s shoulder. “Tess, I think it’s time you get help.”

“Huh? What are you-”

“You have demons. We all do, but yours are eating you up inside.” Tess paled and Batman gently squeezed her shoulder, “Whatever happened today will be water under the bridge, but you need help. You need counseling. I’m sure your boss is more than willing to pay for it.”

Tess tried to laugh it off, “No I don’t! I-”

“What a poor _crature_.” Tess froze and looked back at Nightwing who looked at her with sympathy, “That’s what he used to call you, right? After hurting you.”

Tess felt her mouth go dry and her stomach dropped, “How do you know that?”

Red Robin was the one to speak up next, “Tess. Please, promise us you’ll get some help.”

Tess felt exposed and her heart ached. She felt some tears streaming down her face and she started to frantically wipe them away, “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I don’t know what’s happening!” She continued to wipe her checks on her sleeves, but found the gesture futile. “It won’t- I can’t stop it!” She wanted to scold herself, but something inside her told her not to. So she didn’t. She just stood there and let it out. Another round of beeping, Ryuko has two minutes left. Cat Noir has three. Ladybug has four.

“I have to go, will you-”

Red Robin nodded, “We got this. Go.”

Before Ladybug could turn away she heard a very stern voice, “Ladybug!” She looked over at Batman and didn’t like the look he was sending her. He didn’t raise his voice, but the anger in his words felt just as bad, “We’ll have to talk about your tactics at another time. Soon.”

She nodded. She had a feeling she knew what was going through his head, but to be sure she decided she’d ask Damian later. Ladybug motioned for Ryuko, Cat Noir, Luka, and Stallion to follow her as she raced through the hallways and upstairs.

“Where are we going, Ladybug?”

“Somewhere I know for a fact is private.” Stallion recognized and knew this path well. He ran in front of them to open the doors to the den and slam them shut as Ryuko’s transformation wore off. She sighed and Luka gave her some support. “You both did well.” Kagami side-eyed Stallion, unsure of what to make of him and unsure of how to feel now that he knew her identity. Still, if Ladybug trusted him, she guessed it was okay.

Luka was still on edge, “Will Marinette and that boy be okay? Where are they-”

Ladybug held her hand up and smiled, “They are both fine, Luka. I’ll ask her to contact you later, okay?” The couple looked at each other and decided the answer was acceptable. “Stallion, will you do the honors and send them home?”

Stallion nodded, “Voyage.” His powers caused a portal to appear and the two ran through as if nothing happened. Cat Noir was about to as well when Ladybug held him back and shook her head.

Cat Noir looked confused and concerned as Stallion de-transformed and the portal disappeared behind them, “Damian?”

Ladybug sighed and looked at Damian, “I think you need to go. Find your brothers and the others. Help with the fallout. I need to make sure the miraculous gets back to Marinette safely.” She held out her hand and Damian handed over the glasses.

Damian looked Cat Noir over and the cat’s presence irked him. He didn’t like the idea of leaving without knowing more about the cat-themed hero, so he crossed his arms and stood his ground. “I think I have every right to be here, circumstances considering. After all, this is my ship you two just trashed.” He’d hear about it later, he knew, but he was Robin. He put trackers on everyone he’s ever worked with within the first few hours of meeting them. He needed to know more about Cat Noir.

Ladybug glared at him and Cat Noir looked between the two a few times before putting the pieces together. Cat Noir really wished it wasn’t true. “He knows.” He laughed in complete disbelief as his miraculous beeped its final warning. “He knows!”

58 seconds.

Ladybug was not amused, “Cat Noir-”

Cat Noir shook his head, “No, no, no! Please, Damian, enlighten me! Tell me why you know only after a week of knowing her when I only found out right before this trip!”

50 seconds.

Damian suddenly felt out of place and on edge, “I guessed and I was right.”

Cat Noir's eyes widened and he smacked his forehead, “Oh, he _guessed_! Should’ve known that world’s finest junior over here would’ve figured it out!” Cat Noir turned to his partner with a crazed look on his face, “So what? Did you transform in front of him or something or-”

Ladybug scowled and firmly stated, “Cat Noir, I don’t think this is the time for this conversation.”

“It never is with you!”

42 seconds.

Damian got into a position where he could easily get in between the two should this fly off the rails. Seeing Cat Noir’s negative reaction, it was possible. “I think we all need to calm down-”

“Shut it, Wayne! This is between me and the Lady.”

“Don’t talk to him like that!”

“Oh! Wow! You two are dating and suddenly he’s untouchable! I’ve been your partner for literal _years_, Ladybug!”

There were a few beats of silence between the three before Cat Noir slammed his fist onto the bar’s counter. It rattled all the glasses around it and made the other two flinch, “When were you going to tell me? Were you ever going to tell me? What happened to keeping secrets? What happened to keeping our identities secret at all costs?” Ladybug bit her lip and Cat Noir barked when she didn’t answer him, “Ladybug!”

“I don’t know, okay! I don’t know!”

14 seconds.

“You don’t know? That’s a first!” Cat Noir ran his fingers through his hair, “Years! Actual years! That is how long I’ve risked my life for you! That is how long I’ve asked to know! I’ve wanted to know since day one and suddenly your new boyfriend gets to know all of your secrets! It’s only been a week!”

“Cat Noir, you’re going to transform back!”

“So what? He seems to know everything else about you! He should also know who your partner is, seeing as how there are no secrets between you two!”

“Cat Noir!”

A green light suddenly filled the room and Damian covered his eyes. Once the flash was gone he saw Adrien standing in Cat Noir’s place with a black cat kwami floating around him. Ladybug soon followed suit and the two just stared at each other. Marinette spoke first, “Adrien-”

“Save it.” Adrien scoffed and his nose started to turn pink as his eyes watered, “I thought you trusted me.”

“I do trust you!”

“Clearly not as much as him.” Adrien motioned to Damian and wiped his eyes, “You know a part of me still loves you.” The room went silent after that and he just nodded, “You broke my heart so many times. I lost count how many times, but I still continued to trust you because I thought you trusted me too. I could live with being your friend and partner because I knew you still trusted me as much as I trusted you. We were a team. Now?” Adrien scoffed, “Now, you did it. You broke it for good.”

Marinette felt her eyes starting to water too, “Adrien, please don’t say that.”

“I’ll still help with Akuma fights, but right now I can’t-” His voice hitched and a few tears streamed down his cheeks, “Right now I can’t look at you.” Adrien turned on his heel and stopped at the door before turning his head slightly to look at Damian, “I hope you two make up.” He opened the door and quickly made his exit, Plagg solemnly trailing behind him as the door closed.

Marinette hugged herself and looked at her feet. She wanted to throw up. Damian gulped, “Marinette-”

“Why didn’t you leave?” Damian didn’t really have an answer and she looked up at him. He’s never seen her this angry, “Why didn’t you just leave, Damian?”

Damian bit his lip, “I-”

“You what?”

“I don’t know!” Clearly that was the wrong answer based on her intense glare, “I don’t know what you want me to tell you. I am Batman’s son. I need to know everything about everyone and you wouldn’t tell me anything about Cat Noir!”

“So you were just going to stick around until the miraculous forced him to transform back?” Marinette ran her fingers through her hair, “Oh my god.”

Damian felt bile in the back of his throat, “Marinette-”

“What goes off in your brain that makes you think you can just do or say whatever you want?” Marinette wiped her nose and laughed bitterly, “You really think you’re entitled to all that information when you know very well that we needed to keep it secret?” She didn’t get an answer back and she shook her head, “This was a mistake.”

Damian’s heart dropped, “What?”

“This. This trip. Us. Everything was a mistake.” She looked up, tears in her eyes and nodded, “And to think I wanted to stick with you. Can you believe it?”

Damian blinked, “You were going to stay?”

“Not anymore!” She wiped her eyes and started heading towards the doors.

Damian quickly put himself in front of the exit and felt his heart racing, “Marinette, please-”

“Damian-”

“No, just listen.”

“Will you stop doing that?” Damian stepped back and she sniffed, “Just stop interrupting me. Stop trying to push me or push me away. Just stop.” She walked around him and put her hand on the doorknob before sighing, “I think I love you.”

Damian froze. He’s only ever been told that by family and friends. This was different, new, sentimental, and he didn’t know how to react. He was too tense and caught up in his own shock to turn around, “Marinette?”

“At least I thought I did.”

Something went off in his head demanding that he turn around, but she already slammed the door behind her. He looked back at this new barrier between them and put his forehead against the wooden frame. The more he thought about it, the worse it looked in his head. He was invasive, nosy, demanding; everything that usually gave him the right information to save his own ass now came back to bite him. He hated it and he hated knowing that he really couldn’t help it. It’s how he was raised, both by Talia and by Bruce. He wanted to punch both at this point. “What the hell is wrong with me?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few things:  
1) I was super sick. I got better then got swamped with work and school. I'm so sorry for the wait, but I hope this chapter makes up for it. Thank you for continuing to stick with me despite the tiny hiatus.  
2) Yes, it says crature instead of creature and I'll tell you why. I asked my friend from Ireland what's a word for someone pitful and she said, "We'll usually look at the person and say 'You poor crature'". She spelled it like that on paper so that's how it's spelled in the chapter.  
3) Yes you can put out a fire with the sound of a low bass: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPbHpVbcbrQ&t=5s  
4) When I wrote the second fight scene I listened to "Break, Beat, Bark" from the SAO movie and it's a fun read with that song in the background. 
> 
> Thank you and please enjoy the latest installment of Seabourne Burnouts!


	14. Breach

“No! Marinette, please. I love you.”

“I’m sorry, Alya.”

“Seriously, Dupain-Cheng? After everything we’ve all been through?”

“Chloe, you know this has to happen.”

“Marinette, no.” Her voice trailed off as she watched Marinette carefully. Marinette bit her lip before shamefully nodding. Alya frowned, “Then do it! Do it already!”

Marinette took a deep breath before doing the unthinkable. “Plus four, Alya.”

“What the heck? I thought I was your best friend!” Juleka and Mylene chuckled while Alix, Rose, and Chloe were having full-on laughing fits. Alya grabbed her pillow and smacked it on Marinette’s head, “I thought you loved me!”

Marinette bit her lip to keep from laughing, “Sorry, Alya. It had to be done! I didn’t have a red or four!”

Alya pouted and begrudgingly took the four cards out the deck. “You are so lucky I swore to protect you.”

“To who?”

“Your mom.” Marinette rolled her eyes and Alya looked at her appalled, “I’ll have you know I take my job very seriously.”

“Yeah, yeah, we know. What color?”

“Blue.”

Chloe glared at Marinette as she turned herself to face her back to Juleka. “Hey, Juleka, can you take out the knife in my back? Marinette seemed to put it in a place I can’t reach.”

Marinette grinned and absentmindedly stated, “You guys are more dramatic than Cat Noir used to be!”

Mylene looked at Marinette surprised and suspicious, “You know Cat Noir?”

Before Marinette could say anything, Alix waved her hand dismissively. “She means in general. That boy wouldn’t know what ‘subtle’ meant even if he tried.” The group laughed as they all thought of their various memories with the hero. It was nice to think of the good times, but for Marinette it was bittersweet.

Marinette sighed and put her chin in her palm as she leaned on the coffee table, “You know, you guys didn’t have to do this.”

Juleka watched as Chloe put down a blue plus two card and stacked another plus two on top, “We know.”

Rose put down a third plus two, “Plus, we haven’t hung out! I missed it!”

Mylene put down a fourth plus two, “Yeah, we need to catch up! I feel like we haven’t talked in forever. Seriously, when was the last time we’ve had a sleepover like this?”

Alix looked at her deck and pulled out a final plus two card, “It’s been a while.”

Marinette went through her own deck and scowled, “You all suck.”

“Payback, my dear Marinette. Pay. Back.” Marinette glared at Alya as she reached for the deck and grabbed 10 cards. Alya smirked and placed a yellow seven on the stack, “I love this though. And you guys will love her bed, it’s a cloud.”

Chloe nodded as she put down a yellow two. She sighed longingly, “I wonder if Bruce would get me one.”

Juleka smiled and put down a red two card, “Uno.”

There was a beat of silence when everyone shouted their various disagreements. Alix threw some of their candy at the girl, “Cheater!”

Juleka laughed, “Pay more attention, next time.”

Rose thought over her next words before saying, “You know, I love this but when Alya sent the text she said it was an emergency. What’s going on?”

A new rising tension surrounded Marinette and Alya frowned, “The class president needs a girl’s night. Let’s just leave it at that.”

Mylene pursed her lips and guessed, “Is this because of the Akuma?”

“Probably has something to do with Adrien and Damian avoiding her for two days.” All the girls froze and Alya glared at Alix, “What?”

Chloe shook her head, “I knew you were blunt, but even I know not to say that.”

Alix looked over at Marinette and cringed, “Hey, I’m sorry. I don’t think before I speak and-”

“You’re not wrong. It’s okay.” She slowly stood up and walked over to the cart of snacks. She looked around the cart and scowled when she couldn’t find what she was craving, “I’m ordering popcorn.”

All the girls jumped when Chloe slammed her hands on the table, “Finally! Yes!”

Marinette grinned, “You really love the snacks on this boat.”

“Only the popcorn. This popcorn is made by a popcorn god and I will get his contact information before leaving this boat! I refuse to eat popcorn unless it’s their popcorn!” Chloe smirked and proudly added, “I want a big bowl.”

“A big bowl?”

“The biggest!”

Alya looked at Chloe and smirked, “You’re becoming addicted.”

Chloe pouted, “I am not! I just love this boat’s popcorn. If I was addicted, I’d take it everywhere with me like Tim does with his coffee.”

Mylene shook her head and, in a concerned tone, said, “That boy worries me. He walked into a wall last week, said ‘excuse me’, and then stepped aside into another wall.”

“None of us can function in the morning.”

“It was 6 pm.”

Marinette scrunched up her nose and pulled out her phone, “That boy needs sleep.”

“Are you texting him to sl-”

“Of course I’m texting him to go to sleep. Tim won’t do it otherwise.”

Mylene laughed, “You seem to have a hold on all the Wayne boys then, not just Damian.”

Marinette rolled her eyes and waved her hand dismissively, “I do not.”

“Even that old guy thought you were Bruce’s kid. He treats you like it.”

“Alya, that’s not true.”

Chloe sent Marinette a bored look before matter-of-factly stating, “That man would probably give you everything in this room and Jason if you asked.”

“Hey! Leave my brother out of this!”

“He isn’t your brother!”

“Well, he keeps saying it.” Marinette shrugged, “Plus, I kind of like having him look out for me.”

Rose tapped her chin and scrunched up her nose, “Didn’t he almost beat that guy up back in Vigo?”

Marinette groaned, “Yes.”

Chloe crossed her arms over her chest, “He was a total creep. He was clearly drunk and he wouldn’t leave us alone. Jason has my blessing.”

“He gave the man a black eye.”

“I would’ve given him jail time.” Chloe narrowed her eyes at the girl, “You going to get my popcorn now or-”

“Yes! Jeez, give me a second!” She left the den and closed the door behind her as she called room service.

Alya took the chance to pull out her phone and address all the girls, “Okay, so we’ll be taking a quick stop in Sines tomorrow so Bruce can pick up two more of his business people, right?”

“The man is too nice to be picking someone up from their vacation instead of making them meet us somewhere.”

“Or they are just that important.” Chloe turned back to an impatient Alya, “Continue.”

“Well, I called Marinette’s mom and turns out her grandmother’s in the area.” Alya grinned, “She’ll spend the day with Marinette, our girl gets a pick me up from her cool grandma, and maybe we get her out of this funk.”

Juleka sighed, “If you haven’t noticed Alya, we’re all in a funk.”

“Seriously, ever since this trip started I feel like we’ve barely had any good days.” Alix grimaced at the thought that initially came to the forefront of her mind, “Hopefully there won’t be another Akuma attack.”

Alya hugged herself, remembering the shock and horror she felt when she saw Damian being beaten to a pulp by the last Akuma. They’ve all seen a number of terrifying things during Akuma attacks but seeing one of their friends being beaten so violently was easily the worst. “Yeah.” She shook her head in an attempt to erase the image, “Anyways, let’s make sure our girl looks and feels great tomorrow. Knowing her grandma, she’ll probably bring her motorcycle.”

Chloe smirked, “Alright. I’m down to giving that girl a makeover. Might be fun and I can’t wait to see the look on Damian’s face when he sees her.”

Alix snorted, “Okay, just because of that, I’m in. I want to finally see that kid act like Marinette did around Adrien.” She looked over at Mylene and started to stutter in a funny attempt to mimic Marinette that first year after meeting Adrien. The girls all giggled.

Rose perked up and bounced in her seat, “Oh, this’ll be fun!”

“What’ll be fun?” The group turned back to see Marinette walking back into the room, “What?”

“Tomorrow, we’re going to make you look so good Damian chokes.” Marinette nearly stumbled at the bluntness of Alya’s words. Alya just shrugged, “Has to happen, every rom-com says so.”

Mylene nodded, “Yup. After a breakup, the girl makes sure the ex knows what they’re missing.”

Juleka smiled and said, “It might be fun to dress a little outside your comfort zone.”

“I cannot do that! What am I supposed to do if I bump into him? What would I do if anyone _saw me_?”

“Show yourself off and act like you own the place. I do it all the time.” Chloe smirked, “Especially when I need a pick me up.”

Marinette groaned, “Do I have to?”

Rose smiled softly, “No, but it might be fun Marinette. You are a fashion designer after all, wouldn’t it be nice to get away from your usual style?”

Marinette bit her lip and Alix rolled her eyes, “She won’t do it. She’s too shy to do that!”

“I am not!”

“Are too.”

“Am not!”

“Oh yeah?” Alix stood up and walked over to Marinette, holding out her hand. “Prove it.”

Marinette glared at the girl and grabbed her hand, “Fine!”

The girls shook on it and Alix laughed, “Too easy.”

“Wait, what?”

“So it’s settled! We all dress like we’re ready to take over the world and we start with this boat. Everyone in?” Alya stuck her hand in the middle and one by one the girls put their hands in as well, “Perfect.”

Marinette glared at her hand before turning back to Alya, “Why do I feel like I made a deal with the devil?”

Alya shrugged and said, “You aren’t too far off.” She dusted herself off and looked at her phone, “I’m going to go get some clothes for tomorrow. We should all go before it gets too late and the staff gets suspicious.”

“But we aren’t doing anything wrong.”

“Yeah, but after one of the crew members set off one of Kim’s traps outside the girls’ wing the staff isn’t too happy with us being out so late in groups.” Chloe stood up and grabbed her phone, “Not that I blame them, those boys are idiots and Kim clearly couldn’t have set it up on his own.”

The group shook their heads at the boys’ stupidity before Rose added, “But we still love them.”

The group nodded, reluctantly agreeing to the claim before they all left to their rooms to get their gear. Marinette walked over to her own luggage and looked through her things before calling over her shoulder, “Tikki, you should grab candy while the girls are out.”

The red kwami flew into view with some already in her hands, “Already ahead of you.” She watched Marinette pick out something simple, but out of her usual style. Dark skinny jeans, a flowy over the shoulder blouse, and some boots to complete the look, “You’ll look really nice in that.”

“Oh, I have an idea.” She looked through one of her bags and found the pair of dark sunglasses Jason bought her. They gave off the same intimidating vibes that a cop would wearing a similar pair. “Perfect.”

“It’s different, but still you. As long as you carry yourself confidently, I’m sure you’ll wow them.”

“I’m not trying to ‘wow’ anyone. I just need to not be me right now. This might give me a pick me up, like the girls said.” She folded the outfit and put it on top of the dresser for tomorrow as she left back to the game room. She remembered the mess she had to clean up when she first returned to her room after the last fight and an uneasy feeling washed over her. “Tikki, we should talk about the Akumas.”

“I already told you, Plagg and I don’t feel Nooroo anywhere around here.”

“He has to be on the ship, Tikki! Could he be hiding Nooroo’s presence somehow or-”

“Marinette, I’ve done my best to try and focus, but I’m not finding anything.”

Marinette closed her eyes and purple wings were the first things that appeared in her mind. She groaned, “That Akuma almost got me. I didn’t see where it came from, but it almost got me. I should’ve just transformed and took care of it then and there but-”

“Marinette, you weren’t in the right headspace and you panicked. It’s fine. You found a way out through that vent behind the couch didn’t you?” Marinette nodded, “Besides, your friends were all hovering around the door. It would’ve been hard to explain if they opened the door and Ladybug was in the room.”

Marinette was starting to get frustrated with herself, “I need to focus. Even if he isn’t on the ship, these Akuma’s are coming from somewhere. Hawkmoth’s keeping them around and he’s keeping them corrupted for some reason and I need to figure out why.”

“Well, obviously the main goal is to get the miraculous, we’ve always known that.”

“Even that’s questionable!” Marinette blew her bangs out of her face as wrapped her mind around the different Akumas. “None of them even ask for the miraculous. Tess could’ve easily grabbed them with the teleportation powers, but she didn’t.” She growled and rubbed her temples, “Nothing makes sense to me. I hate it. I don’t know what he’s thinking.”

Tikki nodded and flew up to her holder. She nuzzled up to Marinette’s cheek and tried to sound encouraging, “You’ll figure this out.”

“I don’t really have a choice. We can’t exactly have Akumas roaming around the continent. I need to know where they’re coming from. At least in Paris, we knew the Akuma would stay in the city.” She pulled out her phone and looked at the notes she made. She started jotting down little things about the Akumas after the third one in order to keep track of them. The only pattern she’s seen is that none of them seem to ever talk to Hawkmoth.

She thought back to the first Akuma and speculated if they ever did. The clock read 8:12 and she briefly wondered if the boys were awake to talk. She knew the Miraculous Cure should’ve healed up the one boy’s leg. She looked at the list Tim sent her and checked to see if the list contained names of all people on the ship, not just the passengers. Looking through it for a second, she noticed certain names had different colors to them. She smiled and muttered to herself, “You really are a boy genius.” She started to sort through the colors; green meant passengers and guests, the staff was in blue, the captain and crewman were purple. “Okay. Who brought their kids?”

She got a knock at the door and Tikki flew away to hide as Marinette ran to the door. She looked through the peephole and was surprised at the person on the other side. She opened the door and the woman awkwardly waved, “You ordered popcorn?”

“Tess?” Marinette smiled and motioned for her to come inside with the tray of snacks. “What are you doing here?”

“I got a message that someone in the VIP wing was asking for something. I always get a notification when anyone in this wing asks for anything so I can make sure they get the best service.” The walked to the den and Tess put the snacks on the coffee table. She pressed her lips together in a thin line before finally stating, “Marinette, I’m sorry about what happened.”

“What do you mean?”

“I just- I couldn’t really fight it. It was like all of a sudden everything was just amplified and overwhelming and next thing I knew I woke up surrounded by heroes.” She hugged herself and kept her eyes trained on the snack table, “I saw the video one of your friends made. It was weird to see myself like that. I was so upset and I hurt everyone. I tried to hurt you.”

It took Marinette a second to realize that people outside of France usually don’t know what Akumas are unless they go looking into it or are connected to the people of Paris. This trip probably provided her some of her first close encounters. Adding the akumatization on top of that, Marinette couldn’t imagine what’s going through her head. Marinette knew she was too desensitized to even give it a second thought, but maybe that was a bad thing. “Tess, you did nothing wrong. Hawkmoth is the one behind this. You never would’ve done these things otherwise.”

“You don’t know that.” She wiped her nose on her sleeve and shook her head, “You don’t know me well enough to say that. I hurt people, innocent people, on this ship. I hurt you and I hurt your boyfriend!” She bit her lip, “I’m a bad person, aren’t I?”

“You are not a bad person!” Marinette walked over a placed a hand on her shoulder, “I can tell you are going through a hard time right now but you aren’t a bad person! You were akumatized and you were hurting!”

“Marinette-”

“Have you ever attacked anyone before this?”

“No.”

“Do you actively seek out people to hurt when you are upset?”

“No.”

“You’re fine. That Akuma wasn’t the real you. It was just all of your bad emotions and feelings coming out and it was a bad time for everyone.” Tess gulped and nodded weakly. Marinette gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze, “Have you looked into a counselor?”

“I got one back home. She was willing to do the first session through video call until I get back home. Bruce was kind enough to find her for me.”

Marinette smiled, “That’s great!”

“What’s great?” The two turned to see Alix walk in with a bag in her hand and chewing gum. She examined Tess for a second before smiling, “Hey! You doing okay?”

Tess did her best to put on a brave face before she nodded, “I’m trying. I guess it’s hard to deal with this stuff.”

“Oh.” Alix walked up and awkwardly patted her woman’s shoulder, “Look, I’m not the best at this sort of thing but if it ever gets to you just say something. Literally to any of us. We’ve all been akumatized and it’s freaky. Trust me when I say none of us hold anything against you. Okay?”

Tess bit her lip and paused, thinking over Alix’s words, and finally nodding. “Okay.”

Alix smiled, “Now I want to know what gave you the balls to ask your boss’s kid to make you a drink?”

“What is she talking about?”

“Damian. The boy I was with when we met. That was Damian Wayne.”

There was a short pause before she choked, “That was Bruce’s kid?” She smacked her forehead and groaned, “He must think I’m an idiot.”

“He doesn’t. Trust me.”

Tess looked over at Marinette and narrowed her eyes, “Where is he anyway?” She tensed slightly and Alix noticed her forming a tight fist on her right.

Marinette quickly changed the subject, “Can I ask you something really quick? It’s about the people on the ship.”

Tess faltered for a second before snapping her fingers, “Yes! Yes. I have information for you too! Follow me!”

Marinette looked hesitant before Alix motioned for her to follow Tess. “I’ll let the girls know where you went.”

Marinette nodded, relief visibly washing over her, and followed her out the suite and into the hall. Tess was walking quickly towards the deck before making a few unexpected turns. Marinette found herself in an unfamiliar hallway and took note of the differences in the area. Marinette could tell she was walking past some storage rooms and she never realized how much was needed to run a ship. She also never realized just how many things on this ship that were left unseen. “You know if you are uncomfortable with anything I say you can tell me.”

“Huh? No! No, I was just thinking.”

Tess stopped and turned to face Marinette, “None of the boys come down here.” Marinette looked confused before Tess smiled, “Look, I’ve been through enough bad guys to know when someone is avoiding their boyfriends or exes. There’s just something in the eyes, tells me everything I need to know.” She leaned against the wall and crossed her arms, “Before we get into the nitty-gritty, let’s talk for a second.”

“Talk? I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Tess sent her an unconvinced look and Marinette bit her lip, “Okay, so we broke up.”

“He broke up with you?”

“No.”

“Oh good!” She laughed and slapped her knee, “Christ, I was about to call war!” She continued laughing and Marinette couldn’t help but smile at her energy. It was good to see her genuinely laugh after the earlier conversation.

“War?”

“It would’ve been hard, but I could’ve messed with him. Pretty sure Captain Staller would’ve helped too.” Marinette couldn’t help but laugh at that.

Marinette nodded and tried to hide her grin, “Yeah, I can see that.” Marinette decided to prop herself up against the wall, “He just said something. Something about his past then he caused an argument between me and Adrien.”

“Adrien?”

“One of my best friends.” Tess nodded and Marinette pressed her lips in a thin line, “Look, he-”

Tess held up her hand and shook her head, “As much as I would love to help you, I can’t.” Marinette looked confused before Tess sent her a sympathetic smile, “Look, I wouldn’t hesitate to fight the boy. Petty revenge for a friend is something I can probably do. Giving love advice when I’ve never really had any good relationships seems more harmful to you and me.” Tess hummed, “Besides, I bet you have better people to ask about this stuff. How about one of your little girlfriends? Or even your mom or aunt or something? Right now, I just don’t think I’m the best person for that job. I just wanted to know where you were right now with him.”

Marinette smiled back, “Thanks for being honest.”

“It’s something my counselor talked me into doing. Setting boundaries for myself or whatever. A topic I want to avoid is ‘love’, so I will until I get to a point where I’m okay with talking about it with her. Well, that and other things.”

“But you wanted to rage war if he broke up with me?”

“That’s not love. That’s revenge.” She tapped the side of her head and winked, “It’s different. Think about it.” Marinette snickered at the woman’s antics and Tess sighed, “I’m serious though. Try talking to someone else. I’m sure you’ve got an army of people by your side.”

The choice of words made her think back to that first Heroes’ Day battle. She thought about everyone in Paris and how they didn’t hesitate to fight and help her. Her parents were part of that fight too, supporting her on both sides of the mask. “Yeah, I guess I do. I’ll probably call my mom.”

“Good. Now, back to business. What did you need from me?”

Direct and straight to the point; Marinette loved it. More importantly, she liked moving away from the topic. “Do you know of any crew members who brought their kids on the ship? I’m looking for the two boys who became the first Akuma victims on this ship.”

“David and Jacob? Those are Marleen’s kids. Those two used to run around the ship with those dart guns of theirs all the time before that happened. They’ve been quiet since. Poor boys.”

“Do you know where I can find them?”

“Not on this ship. Marleen sent them right back to their dad’s in the states after it happened. From what I know, Bruce is paying for their counseling too.”

Marinette didn’t realize just how bad this was to others outside of Paris. The more she heard about it from an outside perspective the worse she felt about not being able to catch Hawkmoth sooner. “Can I still talk to Marleen?”

“What for?”

“Bruce asked me to help shed some light on this Akuma stuff since me and my class are a lot more familiar with them.” Not entirely a lie, but it still left a sour taste in her mouth.

“I doubt she’ll want to talk to you right now.”

“But why?”

“I think a lot of the staff kind of blame you and your class for attracting the Akumas to the ship. It’s stressing out our boss, it’s stressing out our passengers, and it’s stressing us out in general.” She shook her head, “Personally, I think it’s dumb to blame a bunch of kids for this. It’s like blaming the kids in a hospital that Joker is trying to blow up. Doesn’t make sense.” She blew some hair out of her face and shrugged, “They’re just looking for someone to blame I guess.”

Marinette’s shoulders fell and muttered, “They wouldn’t be that far off.” She groaned, “There goes the only other lead I have!”

“The A names didn’t pan out?”

“The A names?” Marinette thought for a second before gasping, “I COMPLETELY FORGOT ABOUT THEM!” She smacked her forehead and slid down against the wall, “I’m completely useless. Just pack my bags and throw me overboard. I’m the disaster that forgot about her only other leads.”

Tess laughed, “Given the time you’ve had I’m surprised you’ve even managed to do this much! If I was trying to play detective, fight a villain, deal with boys, and avoid a stalker I’d just break under the pressure!” She walked over and rubbed Marinette’s back in soothing circles, “Look, you need to give yourself more credit. You’ve been trying to make the most of this situation and I’m really proud of you for that. I’m actually kind of mad Bruce hasn’t given you the damn ship as a reward for staying cool through all this!”

“Really?”

“Yes, really. Stop selling yourself short and stop saying you’re a ‘disaster’ because you’re not. Okay?”

“That’s easier said than done.”

Tess groaned before nodding in agreement, “Yes, I know.” She pushed herself off the wall and turned to Marinette, “Come on. Let’s get you back to your sleepover. On the way, I can give you some more dirt on those two rich men.” Marinette nodded, she liked having a third party in this to put things into perspective. She always gets a feeling that her friends and family are just telling her what she wants to hear. She’s been working on that. She knows asking an enemy is just a dumb idea and she’s trying to avoid dumb ideas. She’s been more successful with that one. Still, there was room for improvement and Tess’s information was bound to help her.

As they walked back up to the suite Marinette realized she had a library of information available to her. Room numbers, general routines, people who have access to the rooms, every detail Tess knew could be given to Marinette. It gave her a sense of control and it comforted her as she thought about her next steps. Control and comfort were two things she desperately needed right now.

The two were greeted by Chloe stuffing her face in the doorway, “Where have you been?”

“Talking about stuff. What’s been going on in there?”

The three heard something break in the background and without looking back Chloe said, “Stuff.” She pointed at Tess, “She joining us?”

“Not tonight sweetheart. I have some more rounds.”

“Can you get me more popcorn?”

Marinette scolded the blonde, “Chloe! Rude! What happened to the popcorn I got for you?”

“I don’t want you to have to call in the middle of the movie so I’m stocking up. Besides, I asked nicely, didn’t I?”

Before Marinette could protest further, Tess just laughed, “Alright. Someone will bring it shortly. Goodnight, ladies!”

“Goodnight!” Chloe yanked Marinette inside and shut the door behind her.

Tess felt envious of the girls. If she was their age, she wouldn’t have hesitated to join them. Her group seemed to be friendly and Marinette was a good egg in general. She sent a message to someone in the kitchen about the popcorn and sighed. If she was honest with herself, turning into an Akuma wasn’t the only thing that shook her up. She didn’t even remember most of it. It was only after seeing footage did she feel guilty over the attack. However, when they brought up her father and her old nickname it made her nauseous. Tess just started crying in front of these strangers and she couldn’t stop for a good 20 minutes. It was embarrassing, but liberating after holding it in for so long.

Walking around a corner, she bumped into someone. “Excuse me, I am so sorry.”

“Tess?” She looked up and noticed the man looked familiar. “Hey, how are you feeling?”

“Um, do I know you?”

“Tess, it’s Tim. Tim Drake. 3rd son of Bruce Wayne?” Tess groaned and smacked her forehead, “I’m taking that as a no.”

“Correct.” She held out her hand and smiled, “I really am sorry. I’m not thinking straight.”

He shook it and smiled back at her, “Don’t be. I’m running on fumes, so I can’t think straight either.”

She began noticing the bags under his eyes and his tired expression, “Shouldn’t you be asleep?”

“I should be. Don’t tell Marinette though. She literally texted me to sleep earlier tonight.”

Tess giggled, “Sounds like her. The girl won’t quit will she?”

“No, probably not.” He shrugged, “I like that about her though.” She hummed in agreement and rocked back and forth in place, not really knowing what to do with the silence. “Tess?”

“Yes?”

“How is she? Have you seen her?” She bit her lip, wondering if she should say anything at all. He must’ve sensed her hesitation because he shook his head and started backtracking. “Never mind, don’t answer that.”

“Why do you want to know? For your brother?”

He nodded and sighed, “The first girl he meets that he likes and he messes it up within a day.” He leaned against the wall and yawned, “Sorry. You probably have places to be.”

“It’s okay.” She crossed her arms and leaned back on the wall as well. She murmured to herself, “Break-ups suck.” Realizing she was pushing her boundaries, she shook her head and held up her hand. “I’m sorry, but I can’t really talk about this right now.”

“Oh. Yeah, sorry about that. I guess I’m just worried.”

She thought for a moment before asking, “Has anyone checked on Adrien?”

This seemed to catch Tim off guard, “Adrien? Agreste?”

“Marinette said something about him and Damian causing some kind of argument between them.”

Tess could see the gears turning in Tim’s head. His expressions changed from confused, to annoyed, to concerned, and finally something neutral. He pushed himself off the wall, “Thanks, Tess!”

“For?”

“Everything. You do awesome work here. Don’t forget that.” He smirked, “I bet I can convince Bruce to give you a raise or something.”

Tess immediately shook her head and got flustered, “No! No, he’s paying for my counseling. I can’t-”

“Too late. Already have my mindset on doing it.” He jotted something down on his phone and pulled her into a quick hug, “Thanks again.”

Tess just stood there, tense but amused. “No problem?”

Tim just laughed and started walking backward, “I got to go! See you around!” She watched as he turned directly into a wall and muttered a soft “sorry” before running off to his next destination.

She giggled to herself and wondered just how Marinette had a handle on any of these boys. She’s talked to Bruce and Dick, briefly Jason but that was usually to scold him. Tim was always off doing his own thing and talking with his brothers or friends. He was never uninviting, but he just seemed a bit out of reach. Seeing him now, it’s like watching a college student during finals week. Smart and friendly, but tired and juggling a lot of things. It was like she had the front row seats to a sitcom some nights and a drama other nights. Entertaining, but it keeps her busy and on her toes.

Tess wandered more, patrolling hallways, avoiding certain areas and people, and just being alone with herself. She realized she kept herself busy so she didn’t have to think or sit with herself. She only really spoken to her counselor once, but she was so ready for something to change she hit the ground running. Something she suggested was to be more mindful, so taking walks or meditation counted. She didn’t think she’d do it so soon, but she figured if she couldn’t sleep she might as well use the opportunity.

Still, when she finally looked at her watch when she made it to the deck, it was hard to believe it was a little past midnight. Looking at the time, some of the sleepiness finally hit her and she yawned. She looked over the railings of the ship and didn’t realize just how close they were to shore. She looked across the skyline and wondered if she should call in to explore with the kids. She rested against the railings, chin in her palm, just thinking.

She listened to the soft murmur of the people in the city and to the waves. The motors below rumbled becoming comfortable background noise. Tess laughed to herself, now knowing why Marinette and Damian were always seen around the railings.

“-eet?” Tess craned her neck to see a woman, prim and proper speaking on the phone. “Of course. He gave us a few openings, would you like to reserve an appointment for tomorrow?” Tess felt bad for her, working so late. She was still in her suit. The woman must’ve felt someone watching her because she paused and looked over her shoulder. Their eyes met and Tess sent over a small wave. The woman gave a curt nod, “Excuse me, sir. I ran into someone. Can you repeat that?” She nodded, “Of course. I’ll message you the time. Goodnight, sir.” She hung up and walked off with a purpose. Something about her made Tess uneasy, but she couldn’t quite place her finger on it.

“Tess?” Tess spun around to find a small teen standing there, wrapped in a blanket, in front of her.

“Marinette, shouldn’t you-”

“Did you see where that lady went?”

Tess quirked a brow, “Lady?”

She nodded, “Like a business lady. Glasses. This tall. Probably on the phone.”

Tess nodded and pointed, “Yes, but why-”

“Okay. Thanks!”

“Woah!” She grabbed ahold of the girl’s arm and kept her from running away, “What are you doing? Why are you chasing after her?”

She huffed, “I couldn’t sleep, so I was on my way down here to my favorite spot when I saw her. She looked familiar, so-”

“So that means you need to run around the ship like a madwoman?” If the ship didn’t hate her now, seeing her running around by herself chasing some poor secretary would label her a menace. “No. You can see her in the morning.”

“Tess, come on-”

A third voice chimed in, making both girls jump, “Marinette?”

Marinette turned to see who it was and became even more confused, “Nino?” He was in his pajamas and panting heavily. She looked up to make sure it wasn’t a full moon out tonight, there were too many things happening around her for there not to be. “What are you doing up? Shouldn’t you be asleep too?”

He took a deep breath before explaining, “I thought I saw someone I knew.”

Tess put her hands on her hips and pinched the bridge of her nose, “Look, both of you should sleep. Whoever this is, she’ll still be here tomorrow.”

The two did their best to protest, “But-”

“Go upstairs or I will tell your teachers about this!” She hated it, but knowing that they could disturb another passenger or continue to run down their reputation left her with a bad conscious. The two immediately became silent and she pointed back towards their rooms. “Go. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Their shoulders fell and the two trudged away towards their rooms. Marinette knew he could ask about Adrien, she just didn’t know if she should. Would it be wrong? Awkward? Her mind was racing. “I’m not going crazy, right?”

“Wait, what?”

“Like, that lady totally looked like Nathalie. It freaked me out, man. Adrien made a deal with his old man and he promised to let Adrien do this alone. If he found out she was here, he’d freak.” Nino pinched the bridge of his nose, “He doesn’t need that right now.”

“I thought it was her too. I thought my mind was playing tricks on me! Why do you think I started chasing her?” She stopped herself from going further down that rabbit hole, she didn’t need this added stress. “You know what, it’s probably not her. Lots of business guys have secretaries, right? It probably wasn’t her, right?” The silence frustrated her, “Nino, work with me here.”

“I mean, sure. Rich dudes usually have their own ‘Nathalie’, but she looked scary similar. No way that isn’t Natalie.”

“Well, we’ll see tomorrow, won’t we?”

“I guess, but I’ve avoided that lady so many times it’s like I can just sense whenever she enters a room. It’s probably the worst superpower ever, but I’m sure it was her.” Marinette just started giggling at his expense while he got all worked up. “Hey! Don’t laugh!”

“Sorry! Sorry! But between you and Adrien, I’m not sure who would be more freaked out by her being on the ship.”

“You’ve never had to hide from that woman! She’s like a police dog. She won’t stop and she’ll literally hunt you down. It’s like being in a horror movie, man.”

“She’s a secretary.”

“She’s a demon in disguise. Literally, if it wasn’t for the fact that she takes care of Adrien I’d call an exorcist.” Marinette was trying her best not to laugh, she really was, but her red face and shaking shoulders were not working in her favor. Nino just pouted, “Fine! Fine! Don’t believe me! See if I care!” He crossed his arms and huffed and Marinette was immediately reminded of his little brother.

If she wasn’t doing her best not to burst out in laughter, she’d think it was cute. She took a deep breath, “Nino, I love you. I needed that.”

She was still trying to stifle her giggles, unaware of the opening she gave Nino. It was a harmless comment, but Nino just had to ask, “What do you mean? Why?” He watched her nearly stumble over her blanket and he flinched, “Marinette?”

She bit her lip and decided to throw caution against the wind as she asked, “Hey Nino, how is Adrien anyway?”

Nino hummed, “Pretty bummed, but he won’t tell me why. I figured it had something to do with you.”

She flinched, “Did Alya tell you that?”

“No. Usually, if something was wrong with Adrien you’d drop everything to try and fix the problem. When I didn’t see you barge in to try and cheer him up, I realized you’re probably the reason.”

She nodded and twirled a piece of her hair nervously, “Yeah. I guess I am over the top.”

“But in a good way. You make sure people feel cared about.”

“Well, not this time.” Nino just smiled at her and motioned for her to continue. He was one of her oldest friends and his patience was something she always admired. His energy was calming, comforting, and made you want to open up. He was safe and she needed to talk to someone who wasn’t Alya. “We got into an argument. Adrien said he didn’t want to see me anymore. I broke up with Damian-”

“WOAH! Woah! Woah! Woah! What?” He ran his fingers through his hair, “Wait, didn’t you guys just start dating? Marinette, that’s not even 24 hours.” He groaned, “Dude, do you know how hard we’ve been rooting for you two after the awards dinner? Seriously! That whole week, we were just waiting for you two to get together!”

Marinette glared at Nino and said through clenched teeth, “Thank. You. Nino. I never would’ve guessed!”

“Sorry.” He sighed, “It’s just that, I don’t think we’ve ever seen you like that.”

“What are you talking about? You literally have tried to help me get with Adrien when I was still in love with him.”

“Yeah, but you could barely talk to him without overthinking yourself into a corner. I’ve never seen you just be comfortable with someone you liked like that.” Nino noticed that the more he talked about Damian, the worse Marinette’s mood seemed to be. He coughed and rubbed the back of his neck, “Sorry dude.”

She just took a deep breath and asked, “Nino, just watch Adrien for me, okay? I’ll fix this. I just have to figure out how, but I don’t want to lose him.”

Nino smiled and pointed at himself, “I’m always there for my best man. But what about Damian?”

She stopped in her tracks and snapped at Nino, “Nino, please. Can we not talk about him? I just want to know If Adrien’s okay.”

He looked her over once more and noticed that her nose and eyes were turning pink. Her eyes seemed to shine as a warning and he’s known Marinette long enough to know what it meant. Nino gulped and nodded, “Right, sorry. Adrien’s upset, but nothing me and the guys can’t handle. He’ll come around.”

“You think so?”

“You were his first friend and I don’t think you realize how much that means to him. Just give him time.”

She nodded, comforted by Nino’s words, but still felt like the guilty party. Marinette realized it was time for them to part ways and hugged him. “Thanks, Nino.”

“Anytime.” They parted ways and Marinette felt her mind still racing, even as she crawled back into bed. Tikki gave her little relief, but eventually Marinette fell asleep.

Nino, on the other hand, was still on a mission. Adrien left the room a few hours ago without a word and he just happened to see Nathalie from the upper deck’s balcony while looking for him. Part of him hoped Adrien didn’t see Nathalie, another hoped he was with her because then he’d at least know Adrien was okay.

Any other time, Nino wouldn’t worry. He’d just think Adrien wanted to explore or something, but right now Adrien was sulking. With Nino’s suspicions recognized, he grew even more concerned knowing fought with Marinette. Marinette was their everyday Ladybug. If Ladybug were to ever go against her beloved city, Paris would sustain all damage and suffer. Marinette went against Adrien, now Adrien suffered. Is it repairable? Yes. Will it take time? Probably. Are the odds in their favor?

Nino hopes they are.

Nino continued to wander the halls and thought about how to best approach the situation. His best friend had his right to privacy, but Nino was getting increasingly more worried as more time passed without so much as a text. Talking to random staff and calling out his name could only help so much if no one saw him.

He was ready to admit defeat when a notification went off on his phone. Seeing the contact’s name he immediately raced back to his room in record time. Turning into his hall he saw Adrien slumped over Tim’s side and Nino didn’t know whether to think Adrien was dead or not. Nino hurried to open the door and watched as Tim placed him back on his bed without issue. Tim must’ve sensed his unease because he simply stated, “Asleep. He’s asleep, Nino.”

“Oh, thank goodness!” Nino let out a large sigh of relief, “Marinette and Chloe would’ve killed me.” Tim laughed and Nino just pointed at him, “Laugh all you want now, but if anything happens to him we’re going to be looking at a full-on rampage! Think all the Akumas Hawkmoth has ever made times two and that still wouldn’t be close to the rage those two will unleash!”

“No, no, I believe you! It’s just funny to think about.”

“Not funny if you’re the one they’re mad at.”

Tim took a deep breath and regained a bit of his composure. Tim asked, “Why would they be mad at you?”

“Because I said I’d watch him.” He sighed and looked over his best friend lying on the bed completely unaware of everything happening around him. Nino frowned and explained, “Adrien can get into trouble sometimes and it’s not because he wants to be. He’s gotten a lot better at some stuff, but he’ll still get a bit impulsive when he’s upset. Plus, he’s too nice. If someone were to try and drag him into something, Adrien would go along with it to be polite. Unless it was something that would hurt somebody else, he doesn’t really know how to put his foot down.”

Tim frowned as he thought over Nino’s words. He’s only known Adrien for a little bit and has hardly seen him upset, but he could see the toxic pacifism. Adrien was definitely the type to go along with a plan rather than make up his own as long as others seemed to be okay with it. He was a people pleaser. It brought him back to something his friends said after Lucas got akumatized back when they first landed in Spain. Distant, strict father and lonely household, of course he’d try to do his best to get some kind of love from anyone. Even if he doesn’t realize it. Getting into an argument with someone he’s close with must be eating at him.

“Do you know what happened between those three?”

Tim panicked briefly, he asked without even asking if Nino even knew what was going on. It quickly passed as Nino shook his head, “All Marinette told me was that there was an argument. I didn’t get any details.”

Tim perked up, “Wait, you saw Marinette? How is she?” Nino was a bit confused by the rapid-fire questions and Tim added, “I think she’s been avoiding us.”

“Oh.” Nino nodded, now understanding the predicament he’s in, before smiling sympathetically. “Sorry, man. How’s Damian?”

Tim smiled back, but it disappeared as soon as he started talking about his brother. “He’s worse than he was when he got on the ship. At least before, he acted kind of like himself. Now? He doesn’t want to talk to anyone. He doesn’t want to leave his room. He doesn’t even want to fight or train with us. He loves showing off how much better he is than us! Literally, will not miss an opportunity!” Tim ran his finger through his hair and mumbled, “I’ve never seen him like this.”

Nino sighed, “Sounds like our boys have broken hearts. After talking to Marinette, it sounds like she’s a little broken too.” He groaned, “How are we supposed to fix this?” Tim was about to answer when Adrien rolled over and smacked the back of Nino’s head with his pillow. “Hey!”

“Nino, let me sleep in peace.” Adrien yawned and looked around, “Wait, how did I get here?”

“I brought you.” Adrien seemed to have just noticed Tim standing there, but he quickly accepted the situation and muttered a word of thanks. “Hey, why the hell did I find you passed out in a lounge? You were dead to the world in there.”

“Because I wanted to be alone and I fell asleep.” He rubbed his eyes, “Sorry for making you drag me up here. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

Nino smiled at his friend sadly, “I think I can make a pretty good guess.” Adrien looked at his best friend quizzically before coming to a realization. Nino simply nodded, “Yeah, I ran into Marinette.”

Adrien groaned and threw the covers over his head, “Oh no, what did she say?”

Nino shrugged, “Well, we said a lot of things. But, the first thing we talked about was you.”

“Why?”

“Because she asked.” Adrien poked his head out of his blanket and Nino nodded, “She asked about you first. She wanted to know how you were. “

Adrien rolled his eyes and mumbled into his pillow, “Of course she did.” He turned back to Nino, “What’d you tell her?”

“That you were a complete mess and we were going to have to send you back to Paris.”

“Nino!”

“Kidding! Kidding!” Nino chuckled at Adrien’s pout and waved his hand dismissively, “I just told her you were in a funky mood.”

Adrien nodded before looking between the two. From the looks of it, Adrien was arguing with himself and Tim just patted his shoulder, “Look, if you want me to leave-”

Adrien shook his head, “You’re fine.” He sat back up and looked at Tim expectantly, “Did you want something from me? Or did you just happen to find me? Either way, thanks for bringing me back.”

“I mean, I was going to ask you about Marinette and Damian, but now knowing that you aren’t feeling well makes me think I should just leave.” Tim rubbed the back of his neck and shuffled his feet, “Thinking about it now, why would you tell the brother of your best friend’s boyfriend after they’ve had a fight. It sounds stupid now.”

Adrien just frowned and stared at his lap. The minutes of silence that followed was deafening and Tim wished he just lied to the boy. He wanted to get more information on the breakup, but seeing how upset Adrien was made Tim feel guilty for wanting to question him in the first place. Still, something told him to stay and endure.

Nino was going through a similar dilemma. Nino really wanted to break this silence, but he knew Adrien. The look on Adrien’s face told him that Adrien was in deep thought. He seemed to be debating something and Nino didn’t want to interrupt his train of thought.

Finally, Adrien broke the silence with a bombshell, “I think I messed up.”

“Adrien, what are you talking about?”

“I just got so mad and upset at her and I started yelling! I have every right to be upset, but I shouldn’t have yelled at her. And then I yelled at Damian. I just – I was so mad, Nino. I’ve never felt like that before. I felt like I was punched in the gut and I wanted to throw up and –“

Tim and Nino kept stealing glances at each other throughout Adrien’s sudden outburst and Tim finally placed a hand on Adrien’s shoulder, “Adrien, breathe. You got mad and got into a fight with a close friend. That'll hurt no matter what. Even if you were in the right, it’ll hurt.”

Adrien dropped his head into his hands and his next words were muffled. Nino took a seat next to Adrien and rubbed his back, “We can’t hear you. What’d you say?”

Adrien picked his head up slightly, enough for them to hear, “I told her I loved her.”

“Well, that’s nothing new. You always let us know that you love us.”

“No, Nino. I said I _loved_ her. Right there, in front of Damian, and then I left.” Neither boy knew how to take that bit of news. Meanwhile, Adrien continued to wallow in his own misery, “I told her I didn’t want to look at her. I told her I couldn’t. I messed up.” His hands were shaking as he lifted his head up to face both boys, his expression full of terror and desperation. His voice cracked as he realized the impact of his actions, “I can’t lose her. I can’t lose her you guys. I was just so mad and I yelled at her. I yelled at both of them.”

Tim gulped before asking, “I thought you said you were okay with where you guys were at the sleepover.”

Adrien just hugged himself and shook his head, “I just wanted her to be happy. I wanted her to trust me.” While Tim was still going through all this new information, Nino was more so concerned about Adrien’s mental health. He felt like he was watching his best friend lose his mind.

“Adrien, you know you’ll never lose Marinette. She loves you and has for a long time. She has always gone out of her way to make sure you were okay. She was one of your first real friends! That has to count for something!”

Tim snapped out of his own thoughts and nodded, “Nino’s right. Marinette seems to be the type to go above and beyond for the people she cares about. If what Nino says is true, you aren’t going to lose her as a friend anytime soon.”

Adrien sniffed and wiped his nose on his sleeve, “That’s not what I’m worried about.”

“Then what are you worried about? Because I’m getting worried about you, Adrien.”

Adrien bit his lip before pulling his knees in close. “Nino, I can’t – I can’t tell you.” How was he supposed to tell these two that he was worried about losing Ladybug? How was he supposed to tell them that she has been one of the few good things keeping him going every day? How was he supposed to tell them that he fought beside her for years? Sacrificed himself for her for years? Blindly trusted her for years?

How was he supposed to tell them that she was the only girl to ever hold his heart?

She still held it. He hated that she still held it. He knew she’d never hurt him on purpose. When it came to feelings and romance, she was always honest with him. She never led him on. It always hurt, but she was always so careful. She always did her best to make sure she did the least amount of damage. He knew she cared for him. He knew. Yet, she failed to tell him this.

This could jeopardize both of their safeties. Their identities they’ve fought so hard to protect. During their dance at the VIP dinner, Adrien was quick to discuss how to stay safe around the family. He told her about all the files on them and their allies. Looking back, her oddly calm demeanor made sense if Damian knew. Damian could always throw the rest of them off their trail if they got too close or warn her should anything happen. This, from a hero’s perspective, was probably a great thing.

From a partner’s perspective, it irked him that she didn’t tell him about Damian knowing her identity. Considering she still lied about giving Kaalki to Marinette, she was going to keep it a secret from him. Just like she kept Master Fu a secret from him for a while, too. At least back then, they kept a lot of things from each other. He figured, considering the circumstances, that the secrets would be over. That they’d be able to talk and discuss openly. He thought that now she could fully trust him like he fully trusted her.

Finding out Marinette was Ladybug was probably one of the best things to happen to him. He loved her on both sides of the mask. He trusted her on both sides of the mask. Her initial reaction hurt him, but at least he understood it. If Ladybug was distant and cold to him, he’d be upset too. He took full responsibility for that one. But this? Why did she think she had to keep this from him? Letting her new boyfriend in the loop while he was still clearly out of it was an even worse kick to the stomach.

He felt left behind by the one person who was supposed to stand with him side by side like he’s always done for her. He had every right to be upset. He knew that.

He looked between the two boys in front of him and his voice cracked as he asked, “Is it supposed to hurt this much?”

He was usually okay. He usually only left with a bruised ego and a bit of a hurt heart, but this was a real heartbreak. Not only realizing the girl he loved was in love with someone else but knowing that she loved this new guy over him. Trusted Damian over him.

Adrien knew she’d always have his heart and he’d grown to accept it because he thought it’d be safe.

He was wrong.


	15. Aground

Damian tried to dodge Dick’s most recent attempt at communication, but considering he was blocking the only exit from his room Damian was stuck. Damian’s neutral expression was becoming more and more unnerving and Dick wished he’d say more than just a few sentences a day. “Damian, come on. You should come with us. We’ll be leaving soon.” Damian just stared him down before grabbing his arm and flipping him onto the bed across the room. A small “oof” was heard in the quiet room and Dick groaned, “Come on! Work with me here!”

Damian just shook his head and started walking out the door. Dick scrambled to catch up to him, “You’re already dressed and ready. Let’s get off the ship! Walk around, see the sights, let’s just live a little!” Damian continued to actively ignore his brother as he walked down the halls. It was a fight to get him cleaned up in the first place. The boy stuck himself in his room and did his best to avoid talking to anyone. He was reminded of Marinette after the initial attack on the ship, except Dick knew what would happen once that façade broke. Once Damian’s did, he wasn’t sure what would happen. Dick sighed, “You’re being difficult.”

Damian paused and Dick briefly wondered if he finally got through to him. That was immediately proven right when Damian glared and drew his arm back to punch the man. Dick quickly blocked the attack and prepared for another, but Damian continued walking. Dick felt a bit of relief, the punching is more familiar. It meant he was starting to get frustrated and if he loses his cool then he’ll finally open up. Dick knew how to handle Damian when he was angry, that was easy. However, the silence was killing him. 

“You know we still have to see them off though.” Damian didn’t respond, instead choosing to change course and walking towards the deck. Dick wondered if they’d see Marinette and her friends, but then he had to wonder about Damian’s reaction to her. He hoped his brother’s reaction would give him some kind of insight on what happened. Tim said he would go and get some information so he wouldn’t have to, but that was yesterday and none of them have seen him since.

Damian blinked as he adjusted his eyes to different lighting. It was a clear day; the sun strong and there was hardly a cloud in the sky. Perfect for a good outing, but annoying to him. Laying eyes on Jason, he walked over and leaned against the railing. Damian scanned the class, all were excited to explore but all seemed tired. If he was honest, everyone seemed tired; the students, the staff, the other passengers, and his father included. He watched as Bruce walked around, greeted the team that boarded, and tried to push through the day. Damian always wondered how he hasn’t spotted any gray hairs yet.

Some loud giggling caught his attention and it was no surprise to see who it was. He figured the girls would do their best to gather and cheer Marinette up, that’s just what friends do. What he wasn’t expecting was the change in clothes. It was almost funny, she seemed embarrassed but her outfit wasn’t anything inappropriate. It was just a bit different. Her hair was up in a ponytail, her dark jeans complemented the white off the shoulder blouse she wore, and her tennis shoes gave a casual feel to the whole thing. He recognized the glasses that Jason gave her sitting on top of her head and thought if she was ever to wear them, she’d look like the most unintimidating police officer ever. Seeing her laugh as her friends pushed her forward despite her hesitance made him feel oddly relaxed.

Dick and Jason had their eyes glued on the boy as soon as they noticed Marinette coming into view. Damian’s stone-faced façade soon morphed into one of subtle surprise, then regret, then amusement, and finally rested on a soft smile. Dick and Jason just looked at Damian with pity. The way he looked at her, the fondness of his expression, meant that Damian was too far gone and they had their work cut out for them. It would’ve been cute if they weren’t avoiding each other. Right now, they were just happy to see any emotion at all.

Jason sighed as he turned his attention back to the group of girls. Chloe looked up and made eye contact for a brief second before bringing Marinette’s attention further away from their vantage point. He knew what she was doing and he wasn’t even mad. She didn’t want to ruin Marinette’s day. Still, he did miss their company. Marinette and her friends really made the trip bearable. Besides, he was actually attached to the girl and he missed their banter.

Jason turned back to his brothers, ready to suggest they start heading out with the groups, when a shrill shriek caught everyone off guard. He turned back around to see Marinette running off the ship and jumping into the arms of an older woman waiting for her harbor by a motorcycle.

It took Dick a moment to snap out of his confusion to finally ask, “Who’s that? Do we know who that is?”

Damian shook his head, “No.”

“Oh my god, you actually spoke.” Damian didn’t respond, but Dick was too proud of himself to care. “Yes! Jason, now we can – Jason?” The two were waiting for a similar reaction from their brother, but Jason has not moved since locking onto the sight of Marinette and the woman. “Jason? Hello? What? You like the bike or something?”

Suddenly, his eyes went wide and Dick could’ve sworn he saw a lightbulb go off in his head before Jason suddenly took off. Damian and Dick shared a confused look before following. Jason was running full speed towards this woman and Dick can’t remember him ever reacting like this to anyone. Either this was going to be really good or really bad, but both were mentally preparing themselves for either option. Dick caught Bruce’s eye and Bruce looked just as confused but too busy with his clients to chase after them.

As they got to the bridge connecting the ship to the harbor, Damian stopped and instead chose to stay and watch by the railings. If Marinette was avoiding him, it was probably a bad idea to just run-up to her. Besides, he had faith Dick could hold him back long enough for Damian to catch up if things went south.

He watched as Jason skidded to a stop a few feet away from the two. Both Jason and Dick were panting slightly and Dick was ready to spring into action at any second. Marinette seemed to be just as tense and surprised to see him run up to them. Yet, instead of trying to fight this woman, they just stared at each other before Jason finally broke the silence.

“Gina?”

The woman blinked before grinning, “Jason?”

Jason ran his fingers through his hair and started laughing, “Oh my god!”

Marinette looked between the two and pointed at Jason, “You know him?”

Gina laughed, “Know him? He wouldn’t leave me alone for a good two months!” She outstretched her arm and motioned for Jason to come over. Jason immediately engulfed Gina in a hug and Marinette just looked to Dick for answers. Dick simply shook his head and shrugged. Gina pulled away and looked him over, “You’ve gotten bigger! You look tired though.”

Jason chuckled, “It’s been a long time, Gina.”

“Excuse me! Wait!” The three turned to Marinette as she struggled to comprehend the situation, “Grandma, Jason, how on earth do you know each other?!”

Gina simply laughed moved in to pinch both of Jason’s cheeks, despite Jason’s best efforts to dodge her. Gina squeezed and cooed, “I met this young man on one of my trips! He beat up some muggers and then practically inhaled all the food I gave him as a thank you.”

Through clenched teeth, Jason protested, “I did not inhale!”

Jason managed to pull away to rub his cheeks and playfully glare at the older woman, but both couldn’t help but smile at each other. Gina examined him, walking around and taking in all the changes she could notice from the last decade and sighed. “What on earth have they been doing to you?”

Jason licked his lips and diverted his attention to Marinette for a moment, “A lot can happen in 10 years.”

Dick coughed loudly, bringing back the attention of the two old friends, and motioned to Gina. “And when did this happen?”

Jason looked between the two ladies before turning back to Dick, “Do you remember when I _ran away_?” It took him a second to understand what Jason meant, but Dick gulped and nodded. “Well, during that time I hit a bit of a rough spot. That’s when I met Gina and she took care of me for like two months.”

“He’s the grandson I always wanted. Likes motorcycles, brave, handsome, not the brightest but his heart is in the right place, no?”

Dick snorted and Jason rolled his eyes, “Thank you, Gina.”

Marinette pointed between the two, “Wait, he’s the-“ She cut herself off and ran her fingers through her hair, “Oh my god, Jason actually is my brother.”

Jason blinked and looked at Gina, “Wait, you’re actually her grandma?”

“I’ve told you about Marinette!”

“Yeah, but you never showed me any photos or anything!” He walked over and slung his arm over Marinette’s shoulders, “So, how does it feel?”

“How does what feel?”

“To be my little sister.”

“She is not your sister!”

Gina lightly smacked Dick’s chest, “Nonsense, I always considered Jason as family.”

“You heard the lady. Siblings, bitch.”

Marinette gasped, “Language!”

Jason was ready to retort when he caught Gina’s eye. She had a look that screamed “I dare you” and Jason dropped it. “Sorry.”

Dick pinched the bridge of his nose, “I can’t believe his stupid joke was right.” He looked at Marinette and apologized, “I’m so sorry.”

“Screw you, Dick.”

“Jason!”

“No, Grandma, that’s his name. Dick Grayson. That’s Jason’s brother.”

Gina looked Dick over then shrugged and made a so-so motion with her hand, “He seems fine.” Before Dick could say anything, Gina laughed and hugged the man, “I’m joking. Nice to meet you.”

It took a moment to reciprocate, but Dick gave the older woman a small squeeze. “Nice to meet you too. We love your granddaughter.”

“That’s not a surprise, but always good to hear.” Gina walked over and kissed the top of Marinette’s head, “Honestly, I’d be surprised if someone didn’t like her.” She laughed, but when the other three laughed half-heartedly she stopped. “Wait, where’s someone who doesn’t like you?”

Marinette flinched, “Well, I wouldn’t go _that_ far-”

“Oh Gina, there’s this evil little girl in her class. The worst. Absolutely mental. I’ve been trying to convince her to let me throw her overboard since we met.”

“Jason! Grandma, I can handle it.”

Gina hummed and looked on deck. She recognized most of her classmates from her birthday party and from pictures, but there were a few that stood out. Two kids around Marinette’s age, a boy staring at them by the railings and a girl talking a group of some of Marinette’s friends, she realized she’s never seen before. “Is it that one?”

They looked over and Marinette groaned, “One, that’s a she-“

“I vote we use ‘it’ from now on.”

“- and two, yes.”

“Okay, so that’s her. Who’s the boy staring at us by the rails?” The brothers both tensed as they watched Marinette looked around, trying to figure out who her grandmother was referring to. There was a visible change in her body language as she became rigid and immediately looked away. Dick looked over to see Damian with his back turned to them, most likely because he was caught. Gina pointed at Damian and said, “I’m going to make a wild guess and say that’s the boy your mother’s been telling me about.”

Marinette’s face flushed, “Grandma!”

“Did you two fight?”

Marinette bit her lip as she looked between the two men standing beside her before hesitantly nodding. Gina hummed before taking her helmet off her bike and reeling her arm back. “Grandma, what are you-” Gina grunted as she threw the helmet full force towards the boy. All three watched in disbelief as the helmet flew through the air and right before impact, Damian put his hand up and caught it. Marinette let out a huge breath she didn’t realize she was holding in, “GRANDMA!”

“Good reflexes.”

“You cannot go throwing helmets at people like that!”

“Sure I can. I have your helmet here too. I can probably hit that girl Jason mentioned.”

“Grandma, no!”

“Grandma, _yes!_” Jason quickly shoved the other helmet into Gina’s arms and pulled Marinette back.

“Jason-”

Jason harshly shushed her, “This is karma. Let grandma do her thing.”

Marinette struggled in his grip, “She is not your grandma! Grandma, don’t you dare throw that helmet!”

Gina reeled her arm back and Dick quickly jumped in, “WOAH! Woah! Let’s calm down! None of us like Lila, but assaulting a child is not the answer.”

“But it is an answer. One I am happy to go with.”

“Jason, I swear if you don’t-”

“No, no, he’s right. We should probably leave her be. Besides, it’ll dent the helmet.”

Gina and Jason smiled at each other. While Dick didn’t know Gina, he knew Jason and that particular smile meant something was brewing inside his head. He could feel a migraine coming on as he watched the two laugh as if they made some kind of inside joke.

Marinette wiggled her way out of Jason’s grip and stomped her foot, “No fair! How come he got to go on one of your trips? You promised me one!”

“Yes, but your mother wanted me to wait until you were at least 16 to take you anywhere.” Marinette frowned and sighed, defeated. Jason snickered before Gina poked his chest, “Don’t laugh at her. It’s not like I brought you along with me. You just didn’t leave.”

“You loved me.”

Gina put a hand on her hip and nodded reluctantly, “Yes, yes, but you worried me. You still worry me.”

“You know, as your actual granddaughter, I’m feeling a little left out.”

Gina rolled her eyes and hugged Marinette, “I love you too.” Marinette smiled and let herself melt into her grandmother’s hold. “Now, what do you want to do today?”

“I’m sure it’ll be fun if I’m with you.”

A notification went off on Dick’s phone, but as soon as he checked it he turned and caught Gina’s incoming helmet. The two ladies jumped in surprise while Jason just looked confused. Dick looked up at the railings and Damian sent him a curt nod, “You could’ve just brought it down!” He noticed Damian look at someone behind him and give a small wave. Dick didn’t have to turn around to know who it was for.

“OKAY!” Marinette started pushing her grandmother towards the bike, “You got your helmet back, the day is young, I’ll drive! Jason you coming?”

“You want me to come?”

“Well, yeah. You guys need to catch up, no?”

“Marinette, he doesn’t even have a bike with him.”

Jason smirked, “Gina, I always have my bike with me.”

Dick groaned, “Please, no-” Jason pulled out a set of keys and pushed a button. They watched as the crowd started yelling and quickly jumped out of the way as a motorcycle made its way down to the harbor and next to Jason. Dick pinched the bridge of his nose as Jason pulled his helmet off the bike’s handle, “And when exactly were you planning on telling us you brought your bike?”

“Can’t tell you when if I was never going to.” Jason turned back to the girls, “Anyways, where are we going ladies?” He watched Gina walked around the bike, admiring it, before holding her hand out while her back was still turned to him. Jason frowned and handed over his keys and she tossed her own keys to Marinette. Jason rolled his eyes and put on his helmet. He realized he forgot how might lighter normal helmets were compared to the Red Hood mask.

He walked over and got onto Gina’s bike with Marinette getting on as well. He could tell she was still incredibly uncomfortable based on the stiffness of her body and how tightly she squeezed his waist. He sent a quick text to his brother and, when he realized Bruce was watching him from the deck, saluted as he drove off to follow Gina into the city streets. He could feel Marinette relax the further they got from the docks and it saddened him to know she was this uncomfortable around his family.

He heard her call to him, “Where do you think grandma is taking us?”

“Don’t know. Knowing Gina, probably somewhere that’ll make us feel nostalgic.”

She hummed, “So how did you actually meet my grandma, Jason?”

“I told you, I ran away and-“

“I can tell when you guys are hiding something. I bet grandma saw it too.” He pressed his lips into a straight line as he struggled to find the right words. Luckily he didn’t have to, “You don’t have to give me all the details and if you don’t want to talk about it it’s fine.”

He relaxed a bit and smiled, “Thanks, Marinette.”

She giggled and looked around the streets. It was a beautiful day and she had a feeling things were going to be peaceful today. “Mom and Dad are going to freak out when they find out you’re the long lost son of the Dupain-Cheng family. You’ll have a whole cake and party waiting for you if you ever come by the bakery.”

Jason laughed, “Well then, I’m just going to have to book the next ticket.”

She nodded and smiled when she realized where they stopped. It wasn’t like Andre’s back home, but a nice ice cream parlor and good shading made for a close second. Jason offered to pay for everything, but Gina refused and left the two to go get ice cream for the group. Marinette closed her eyes and reveled in the soft breeze that swept through. Jason cracked his neck and hummed, “I feel like this will be a calm day, for once.”

“Don’t jinx this for me, Jason.”

He knocked on the wooden bench beneath them. He stretched and looked around, “When was the last time you did something like this?”

“Like what?”

“Like this. Something normal.”

Marinette tried to think back and realized it’s been a few months since she’s gotten to sit down and be present with people she cared about. Sure, she had the sleepovers and dinners, but those usually were to cheer her up or required by their circumstances. This was meant to cheer her up too, but instead of being a party or a loud dinner it was just peaceful. She could actually think clearly and she felt like a weight was lifted. She smiled, “It’s been a while.”

“Same here.”

Gina came back with their sweet treats and the three began sharing different stories of adventures they’ve had together. Marinette never realized how different Jason’s life was until they started talking about their time together.

“You used to sneak out and I had to wait up for you.”

“You didn’t have to.”

“You came back with new bruises every night!”

“I couldn’t sleep!” Her expression deadpanned and he shrugged, “I already told you what I was doing.”

“Fighting crime is not a viable excuse for a 14-year-old.”

“Hey, I always came home didn’t I?”

Gina opened her mouth to retort but shook her head and shoveled some ice cream into his mouth, “Just eat.”

Jason chuckled and licked his lips, “Marinette, I drove your grandma crazy.”

She laughed, “Sounds like it. What happened though? Why did you only stay for two months?”

The two adults looked at each other and Gina offered, “Do you want me to tell her?”

“No. No. I can do it.” Jason thought for a moment before saying, “Your grandma offered to take me with her. She wanted me to live with her.”

“Why didn’t you?”

He looked at his empty bowl of ice cream and frowned, “Some things came up. Things from the past. I realized I still had a lot of unfinished business to take care of and I couldn’t let go of any of it. I couldn’t pull your grandma into that, so I just left.”

Gina pulled Jason’s hands away and held them, gently squeezing and rubbing her thumb over his knuckles. “You know, I always wondered what happened to you. I saw a lot of you in Marinette too. She’s just as hard-headed-”

“Hey!”

“- and just as passionate about the things and people she cares about.” Gina softly patted his cheek, “I’m so glad I got to see you again and I’m proud to see how you turned out.”

Marinette noted how he visibly tensed before he shook his head, “Nothing to really be proud of, Gina. I’m just glad I lived long enough to see you again. I never really forgot about you either. I mean, how often do you meet an old French grandma who rides motorcycles and travels the world?”

Both Gina and Marinette laughed at that comment. Marinette couldn’t help but be curious about what could’ve possibly taken Jason away from her grandma. She’s sure it has to do with Batman and Gotham, but she knew Red Hood didn’t exist 10 years ago either. She briefly wondered what could’ve been if he just stayed. Maybe he could’ve helped her with being Ladybug.

“Hey, Marinette?” She brought her attention back to the conversation and watched Jason as he tried to tread carefully into a new conversation. She didn’t have a good feeling about this, “Can I ask about Damian?”

Marinette didn’t know if it was the ice cream, the company, or the fact that she’s off the ship, but this was the first time she didn’t feel like avoiding this conversation. She remembered what Tess said about talking to someone else and she trusted her grandmother. After thinking about it, she trusted Jason too. “You’re going to tell Dick and Tim, aren’t you?”

“No!” Marinette quirked her brow and he just shrugged, “We’re brothers, what do you expect?”

She sighed but nodded. It was odd. She still felt uncomfortable, but the emotions were underwhelming compared to last night with Nino. She gulped, “Damian told me about a bad thing he did. I wasn’t expecting to hear that from him, so I was a bit shocked. The Akuma attack made me realize something though. He didn’t ask or choose to be a part of those bad things. He was raised and convinced to do it. It reminded me of Hawkmoth in a way since he makes good people do bad things too. I figured since he took himself out of that situation and he was being a good person maybe I could stay.”

She looked down at the table and frowned, “After this week, I realized I didn’t want to lose him either. We connect really well, we can read each other pretty well, and I trust him. He saw right through me whenever I lied to him. He knows something about me that only two other people knew and he just accepted it. I wanted to do that same for him. I wanted to stay with him.”

Gina tilted her head and analyzed Marinette’s expression, “You really like him. You never talked about Adrien like that.”

Marinette nodded, “Yeah. I do.” She scoffed and felt her eyes water, “With Adrien, I could barely hold a conversation and I was always on edge. With Damian, I don’t even have to try. It was so easy to just…” Her sentence trailed off and she bit her lip.

Jason motioned for her to continue and she sighed, “Grandma, I love him. I never felt like this around another person. I don’t know what else it could be.” Jason’s eyebrows shot up meanwhile Gina just smiled. Marinette wiped her eyes and laughed, “It’s scary how easy it was. I mean, I fell for Adrien pretty quick, but that hardly went anywhere. With Damian, I was just comfortable. I didn’t even think about until after we came back from our first visit to Santander.”

Gina hummed, “You know, you remind me so much of your father.”

Marinette quirked her brow, “Thank you?”

“No, no, I’m serious. Do you think your mother was the first girl your father cared about? No. He cared about a few girls, and he thought he loved them too, but it wasn’t until he met your mother that I ever really saw him connect with someone.” She pointed at Marinette, “He had that same look in his eyes too.”

Jason grinned, “You should’ve seen them that first week. They got into an argument then too, but they acted like an old married couple.” Marinette winced, “Sorry.”

Marinette waved her hand, “You’re fine. You’re right anyway.” She thought about that night in the den. She remembered how awkward he looked when he took the chance to say, “_I thought we were already married_.” She wished she could go back to that moment. Sure they were confused and they didn’t know everything about each other, but at least they had each other. That led her to the dance, which led her to the fight, which led her to Adrien. She brought one of her legs up and rested her chin on her knee, “I messed up.”

“How so?”

“You remember that secret I talked about? It involved Adrien, but Damian didn’t know that. He forced it out of me and I didn’t tell Adrien Damian knew so then Adrien got mad. Adrien started yelling, I started yelling, we all got into one big fight.” She groaned, “Now Adrien hates me and I can’t even look at Damian without wanting to freak out and now I’m a mess and now everything’s a disaster!” She knocked her forehead on her knee, “I’m so stupid.”

“Hey! Hey! Out of the three of us here, the stupid one is Jason.”

Jason opened his mouth to argue, but he just nodded, “Fair.” Marinette snorted and Jason simply looked at her with pity, “She’s right, though.”

“Right about you being stupid?”

“Right about you two making a real connection. I didn’t know you before, but I know Damian.” Before continuing, Jason leaned back and asked, “Wait, are you okay with this?” Marinette blinked and realized what he meant as the question “Do you want to talk about him?” is left unsaid. Marinette pauses for a moment and thought about it. Did she want to know more?

When her mind wandered to him, there was a mix of emotions that came with it. Though dulled, she was still mad and frustrated at him for not leaving the room. Yet, she wished she could go back a few days. She missed their banter and their talks with Captain Staller. She missed their dance battles as she got ever closer to beating his high score on ‘Crazee Boi’. She missed the small touches they shared as they walked together through the ship and through the different cities. Most of all, she missed how at ease she felt when she was with him. She didn’t need to act perfect or okay around him, he’s witnessed the worst parts about her and he didn’t even give them a second thought. He was the first one to really see her for who she was; a girl three steps away from burning out due to her crazy life. He didn’t scold her for her choices or try to talk her out of it, he related to her and did his best to give her a break. Damian was the best part of this whole vacation.

She nodded and Jason continued, “I’ve never seen him warm up to anyone the way he did with you. Damian doesn’t just talk to anyone the same way he does with you. He doesn’t let anyone just win an argument or fix his clothes and hair. He doesn’t just tell anyone about his past or his secrets. And Damian would _never_ just fall asleep next to someone he didn’t know and trust for a while.” She listened intently as Jason leaned onto the table and rested his chin in his hand, “You were the first normal person his own age that he could just be himself around. He didn’t have to be on guard. He didn’t have to be ready to fight you. He didn’t have to put up a front around you.”

He sighed and looked Marinette right in her eye, “Marinette, you brought out the best in Damian. He was getting really tired and burnt-out from everything we do back home. I know you know this already, but he’s never been a kid. He’s never had friends his own age that were normal like this.” Jason smiled at Marinette and he leaned in close, “I’m going to get really cheesy right now, but I need you to get it. This never leaves this table okay? If it does, I’ll know it was you and I’ll make you pay for it.” Marinette rolled her eyes, but she still nodded. Jason, satisfied with their pact, grabbed her hand, “He’s never had the chance to fall in love with anyone, but he almost instantly fell for you.”

Marinette’s mind fizzed out at the sentence, yet before she could respond Jason’s phone started ringing. Jason pulled away and excused himself from the table to answer. Gina moved to sit by Marinette’s side and rubbed her back, “How are you feeling?”

“I- I really don’t know.” Marinette pressed her lips together in a firm line, “Grandma, what am I gonna do?”

“What do you mean?”

“Dick, calm down. Seriously, I can’t understand you when you get like this.” The two looked up at Jason and he licked his lips, “Okay, who cares if he’s on the ship?”

Marinette got up and walked over, “What’s going on? Who’s on the ship?”

Jason huffed and nodded, “Yeah that was Marinette.” There was a pause and Jason shoved the phone into Marinette’s face, “Dick wants to talk to you.”

Marinette looked confused as she held the phone to her ear, “Hello?”

“Marinette?”

“Yeah?” 

“Okay, look, I need you to get back here soon. No one else is around. Nino, Alya, and Chloe are all in their groups in the city and you guys are the closest to the ship.”

“What? Why? What’s going on?”

“Tim and Damian are arguing with Adrien’s dad.”

Marinette blinked and shook her head, “What?”

“Adrien’s dad. He’s on the ship. I don’t know what happened, but Damian found them arguing and then jumped in and everyone’s yelling. I’ve tried to step in but when they get like this they won’t back down.”

She could hear some muffled voices in the background and asked, “Why is he on the ship?”

“I don’t know.”

She gulped and took a deep breath, “Can I talk to Adrien?”

“Give me a second.”

There were a few moments of shuffling before she heard a very tired, “Hello?”

“Adrien?”

She could practically see Adrien tense up in her mind, “Marinette?”

“What’s happening? What does your dad want? Why is he on the ship?”

Adrien sighed, “He wants to take me home.”

“What?”

Adrien winced at her shrill voice, “He wants to take me home early.”

“Why?”

Adrien looked over at his father and Nathalie having a heated conversation with the two youngest Wayne sons, “Marinette, can you please calm them down?”

“Calm who down?”

“Tim and Damian. They really aren’t helping and Dick can’t seem to get them to calm down either. If I’m being honest, he looks like he’s two minutes away from jumping in himself.”

He could hear keys jingling and some shuffling on the other end of the line, “I’ll be there in 10 minutes. Don’t go anywhere, don’t pack anything, have Plagg fly away with the card to the room if you have to.”

Adrien frowned as he watched his father get more and more agitated, “Just hurry.” He pressed the end call button and handed it to Dick before jumping back in. “Father, maybe we should-”

“Adrien, you are to do as your father says.”

“The hell he is, he’s not a puppet. He’s a person who has choices.” Tim’s eye twitched and he pinched his nose, “Look, I understand you’re the parent, but your son has been having a good time on this ship and to take him away early before the whole is over seems like a waste.”

“A good time? From what I’ve gathered, that’s far from the truth.” Gabriel narrowed his eyes at Adrien, “Don’t lie to me. You’re better than that.”

Damian crossed his arms, “And where, pray tell, are you getting this information?”

Nathalie stepped in front of Gabriel, “That is none of your concern.”

“Everything on this ship is our concern. From the passengers to the integrity of the ship itself will concern us.”

Gabriel straightened his back and held his ground, “I didn’t come here to be talked down to by a bunch of children.”

“Then expect to be talked down to by fellow businessmen.”

“And what is that supposed to mean?”

Adrien took a deep breath before motioning to Damian and Tim, “Father, this is Tim Drake, Dick Grayson, and Damian Wayne. They are three of the four sons of Bruce Wayne.”

If Gabriel was at all phased by this information, his body language gave nothing away. He simply raised his brow and said, “Interesting.”

That seemed to just irritate the youngest more, “What’s _that_ supposed to mean?”

“It’s interesting that Bruce Wayne lets his sons run around so carelessly.”

Adrien flinched and looked to the three brothers. This comment seemed to be the one to finally flip a switch inside Dick because he tensed up before glaring at Gabriel. “I find it interesting that you treat your perfectly mannered son like a juvenile delinquent. All that’s missing is bars over his windows and an ankle bracelet to ensure house arrest.”

“How I raise my son is none of your concern.”

“And like I said before, everything on this ship concerns us.” He could tell the frustration in the room was threatening to overflow. Adrien felt like he was watching a bottle of soda being shaken until it explodes; he didn’t when it was going to happen but at this rate an explosion is inevitable. “Look, this is getting us nowhere.”

Nathalie nodded, “Agreed, so if you would be so kind as to **stand-down** this process will go so much easier.” The subtle emphasis on ‘stand-down’ made Tim growl.

Tim coughed and reeled himself in before looking at his brothers. They all seemed to take a deep breath and suddenly it was like Adrien was facing three different versions of Bruce, both in and out of the suit. Dick looked the most at ease, but that was only in comparison to the other two. Dick looked like he was preparing to negotiate. Tim took a step back and seemed ready to analyze the situation, considering how he was as a person this made sense while he was trying to think of a game plan. Damian was the most frightening out of the three. Adrien was reminded of a few clips of Batman Alya showed him earlier this week, but more aggressive. Damian was playing offense and if that was the case Adrien just knew he was going to have to do a lot of damage control.

Damian spoke first and in a matter-of-fact tone said, “Let’s start this again. Gabriel Agreste, head of the Gabriel brand, husband of the late Emilie and father to Adrien. You were also ‘The Collector’ when you were akumatized some time back and you are known to make very rare in-person appearances. You are very adept at designing, business management, piano playing, speaking Japanese, and you have a history of fencing.”

Both Gabriel and Nathalie blinked and their stern exterior seemed to crack for a moment. However, Damian simply continued, “As your son stated before, we are three of Bruce Wayne’s sons. That is Richard Grayson, also known as Dick. He’s the eldest, a skilled acrobat and aerialist, great leadership skills and communication skills, and the one to talk to for an easy route.” Adrien expected some kind of scoff or come back to that comment, but Dick didn’t even blink.

“Timothy Drake, most refer to him as Tim. Incredibly intelligent, very skilled with most technology, also exceptional leadership and communication skills. He annoyingly, but accurately refers to himself as ‘boy genius’. He is the second easiest.” Tim quirked his brow and briefly looked at Damian before turning his attention back to Gabriel and Nathalie.

“The second eldest is not here, but his name is Jason Todd. Good at technology and has an affinity for weapons, specifically any and all guns. Incredible marksman. Not always the best at communication, but will fiercely protect those he cares about. He would be hard, but he isn’t an option right now.”

Damian placed a hand over his chest and his tone held a very distinct hint of a patronizing tone, “I am Damian Wayne. Youngest and only blood son of the four. I am a skilled swordsman, skilled fighter, expert with technology and weapons alike, and also the hardest of the four.” Damian stepped towards Gabriel and, despite the height difference, seemed to look down on him. “No matter who you talk to or try to negotiate with, I swear to you that you will lose. Adrien will stay on this trip until its final stop. Most importantly, he will receive the freedom and respect he deserves that he clearly isn’t getting from you.”

“How dare-”

“I would watch that temper, Agreste. Not only are Akuma running amok throughout the coastline, but there are cameras throughout the ship. Lose your temper here, yell at some children, whatever you do will be stored, shared, and exposed to the media at large.” Gabriel growled but stepped back. While Damian’s expression didn’t change, his eyes held a glint of sadistic amusement. It was like watching an owl wound their prey, but not catch it right away. Simply watching it squirm and make a feeble attempt to escape knowing very well that the shadow overhead will continue following them. This was their playing field, their rules, and Gabriel had to follow them. It was the first time Adrien saw someone talk to and bring down his father like this. He didn’t know whether to be shocked, amused, pity, or all three.

Gabriel glared at Adrien before turning away, “Adrien, I expect you to be packed and ready to go by the time this ship is ready to leave port. We’re leaving tonight.”

“We’ll see.”

Nathalie opened her mouth to respond, but Gabriel held his hand up and shook his head. The two simply left the room and it wasn’t until their footsteps faded away that anyone moved. Adrien could feel himself begin to breathe again, taking in deep breaths but they had no effect. Tim immediately walked over and snapped his fingers in his face, making Adrien look up at him. “Adrien, focus on me. Take deep breaths in and out. Four counts in, four counts hold, four counts out.” Adrien watched as Tim demonstrated and did his best to follow along. After a few minutes, the overwhelming feeling of dread stated to pass and he was just left feeling tired. “Good work.”

Adrien simply nodded and let out a weak laugh as he continued the deep breathing. Tim sent back a weak smile before looking over his shoulder. He saw his two brothers discussing something, no doubt their next step. Tim was genuinely shocked and enraged with how badly Gabriel treated Adrien. Did he curse or yell at him? No, but he treated Adrien like property and acted as if he was always doing something wrong. If he acted like Jason maybe he could see some of that behavior as being warranted, but Adrien was, by all definitions, an incredible son. Athletic, intelligent, well mannered, good heart, what more could Gabriel be possibly asking for?

Watching the anxiety practically seep through Adrien pores, he realized Gabriel was asking for a perfect model. Obedient, quiet, well built and well-mannered for good publicity, but only shown through a tightly locked frame. Never to be physically touched without proper certification, never to be altered except by those he deemed worthy to do so, and always held at arm’s length to avoid damaging goods. More orders than praises unless he does exactly as expected, but that is too far and too few in between. Most importantly, making Adrien feel necessary when, in reality, he’s being used for something superficial.

It was disgusting. Tim really hoped there were some good points to Gabriel’s character. Adrien would undoubtedly defend this man, so something had to be worth all of this. At least, that’s what Tim told himself to avoid throwing punches.

Dick walked over and rubbed Adrien’s back, “You doing okay?”

“Maybe, not sure yet.” Adrien ran his fingers through his hair and laughed, “I’ve never seen that before.”

“Seen what?”

“Seen that! Him being talked to like that! He actually stood down! I mean, Chloe’s mom kind of does that, but what you did was a whole new level!” He laughed, bleeding into the hysterical, and leans against Dick for support. He tried to hold it in, but that made him laugh more, “Oh my god, what’s happening to me?”

Dick chuckled, “Well, you just went through something super stressful and you’re still here on the ship. I’d say you’re on a high right now, but when you crash you’ll probably want a nap.”

Adrien took a few more deep breaths, “Okay. Okay, I think I’m okay. Dick, you should probably call Marinette before she tries to kill my dad.”

Dick paled, “Oh my god, she’s with Jason. If she doesn’t he sure as hell will.” He cursed to himself as he quickly turning away and dialing.

Adrien looked over at the last of the three Wayne boys, he noticed him standing further away and trying to avoid looking in Adrien’s general direction. Tim saw this and quietly said, “Hey, it’s fine if you’re still upset with him. Just because he helped doesn’t mean you guys are okay. You guys need to work this out together, but considering he just fought to keep you on the ship I’d say you have a good shot at making up.” Adrien’s shoulders fell and Tim shrugged, “Only if you want to.”

Adrien glared at the ground and sighed before calling out, “Damian?” Damian tensed and looked up at the blond. Adrien shuffled his feet before saying, “Thank you. For this.”

Damian relaxed a bit, “Don’t thank me yet, we have to make sure you stay on this ship.”

Adrien nodded and Tim simply smiled at him, “That’s a start.”

Dick walked back over and groaned, “Okay, that crisis is most likely averted.”

“Most likely?”

“Those two can be loose cannons when it comes to people they care about, can you really say with 100% certainty that neither will try something?” All three thought for a moment before shaking their heads and responding ‘no’. “Exactly. Look, Adrien, do you want to stay on this ship?”

“Yes! Yes, I do.”

“Then forget whatever your dad says. At least one of use will be with you if he tries anything. You are going to have the last of this vacation. After meeting your dad, you need it.”

Adrien smiled, “Thanks. Seriously, I’d already be on a plane to Paris right now if I was alone.”

Tim stretched and yawned, “Before we go for a round two, I say we get coffee and tell Bruce. I really want to see him rip that man a new one.”

Adrien flinched, “Maybe, not that harshly. I know he’s strict-”

“Strict?” Damian scoffed, “He reminded me of some of the trainers back before I met Bruce. They were just as cutthroat, but Gabriel is smart enough to hide and use it to his advantage. Lucky for you, you’ve got the best people on this ship to counteract that and not be intimidated by it either.”

Adrien frowned, “He’s my father-”

“The ‘father’ title doesn’t mean anything if he can’t act like a dad.” Both Damian and Dick snapped their heads to Tim and he finally seemed to realize how harsh that probably sounded. “Oh – Adrien, I didn’t mean to-”

“You did. That’s fine, I’ve heard worse come from Chloe.” Adrien rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled, “Let’s keep all of this from Marinette, Jason, and the others. They already don’t like him. I think hearing about this conversation would just add fuel to the fire.”

“You know if they find out we’re holding back, they’ll be even more pissed.”

Adrien’s eyes met Damian’s for a brief moment before both turned away from each other, “I know.”

Dick looked at Tim, but Tim simply shook his head. He mouthed, ‘Not now.’ Dick was even more confused, but hopefully Tim had some answers to his questions. Speaking of questions, Dick turned to Damian and asked, “Hey, did you mean all of that by the way?”

Damian’s eye twitched, “Mean what?”

Dick smiled, “Oh you know, ‘these are my two incredible brothers. Like, the best brothers I could ever have. Especially the oldest, Di-”

Damian growled and lunged at Dick, “You’re so full of it!”

Dick manipulated the move and managed to get Damian into an awkward side hug, “So, you finally admit we’re great to have around?”

“I’ll admit that you guys give me more grey hairs than all the villains in Arkham.”

Dick snickered, “You hear that Tim, Damian loves us!”

“You are actually going to get your tongue ripped out if you don’t shut up!”

Tim sighed in relief and chuckled, “I’m actually really glad.”

Adrien asked, “Why’s that?”

“Because what we’re watching right now is the real, true Damian Wayne. He’s always annoyed, gives backhanded compliments, ruthless, but just as socially awkward that it borders cute.”

“I swear to god Grayson, I will shove one of your batons so far down your throat that it’ll come out your-”

“Very, _very_, loosely borders.” Tim went over and pushed the two away from each other before roughly patting Damian’s back, “Good to have you back.”

Damian glared, but there wasn’t much hostility behind it. He knew they were worried but, if he was honest, he just didn’t know how to react. He was already going into entirely new territory when getting into a relationship, the messy break up made things ten times worse. It helped to let out some steam at Adrien’s sorry excuse for a father, but he could feel those bad feelings threatening to come back up. He hopes they were smart enough not to ask.

He pushed Tim away, “Shut up. Let’s just go talk to Father and keep Adrien on this ship. If we’re lucky, we could probably convince him to take Adrien in. God knows he has a habit of keeping athletic kids with sad backstories.”

“Hey!” Adrien was going to continue to defend himself when all three brothers turned and gave him a bored look. He scrunched up his nose and sighed, “Yeah, okay, let’s go find your dad.” Tim sent him a look of amused pity and walked over, “Can I just get some iced tea?”

“You can get whatever you want. If this goes over well, you’ll be able to help run this ship.” Adrien’s pout made him laugh as he started to walk themselves out.

Damian was ready to follow them when Dick grabbed the back of his collar and pulled back, “Hey!”

“We’ll catch up with you in a second.” Tim nodded and closed the door behind him.

“What the hell was that about?”

“So now that you’re talking, do you want to talk abou-”

“Dick.”

“Yeah?”

Damian crossed his arms, “Thanks for worrying about me, but if you ask me about it I will just go back to not talking. Just drop it and let’s focus on keeping Adrien on board.”

“Damian, I’ve seen you mad, sad, happy, murderous, and literally every emotion. I’ve never seen you this tired and now you are actually scaring me with the silent treatment. I have half a mind to get Jon involved.”

“Do that and I will make sure you and Kory never have kids.”

Dick rolled his eyes, “But you see why we’re so desperate to know, right?”

“Yeah.”

“So? Can you give me anything? Literally, if you talk to any of us about this we can help. We’ve all had girl problems-”

“That’s an understatement.”

“_My point_ is that we can talk about it. Maybe give some advice? You can let us in.”

Damian shook his head, “It’s not that I don’t necessarily trust you-”

“Then what is it?”

“I can’t tell you, okay!” Damian’s raised voice didn’t catch him off guard as much as the message did.

“Can’t tell me? What are you talking about?” Damian took in a sharp breath before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. When he exhaled, he opened his eyes and Dick noticed he retreated into whatever void he was barricading himself in. Dick grabbed him by the shoulders, “Oh come on! Damian, you cannot do this! We were just getting somewhere! Damian!” Dick growled when Damian gave him no response other than stepping away and walking towards the door. “Damian, no! You can talk to me! Me! Dick! Your older brother, the one you can depend on, the one who – The one who really cares about how you’re doing.”

Damian paused and Dick continued, “Damian, we’ve been through a lot together. You can tell me pretty much anything and I’m going to help you through it. You know that! Just work with me here. Let me help!”

Damian sighed and turned back to face Dick, “You’re annoying.”

“I’m your brother. That’s kind of my job.”

Damian’s shoulders fell and shook his head, “Dick, know that this isn’t personal.” It wasn’t, it just felt wrong. He was already set on keeping her secret identity under wraps before she even suspected his, but afterward? The only reason any of Marinette’s friends knew was because they figured it out on their own. She would’ve taken it to the grave and he respected that. It honestly surprised him. “I just can’t tell you right now. If you want to know, just ask Marinette about it. That’s her secret to tell or not.”

Dick’s eyebrows shot up, “You do realize I’m just getting more concerned now, right? You literally compiled information on her that we all have access to. If it’s not in there, then what the hell is she hiding?”

“Something personal and something I probably shouldn’t have found out. If you guys look into it, I swear I will hurt all of you. I shouldn’t know and, quite frankly, I wouldn’t be in this situation if I didn’t.” Damian knew Dick would be looking into it if they haven’t already started, but if they were going to uncover that information he was not going to be any part of it. “Dick, promise me something.”

“Depends on the something.”

“Look into Lila. She’s has been acting suspiciously recently. I noticed something recently over the cameras and I think she’s up to something. I want you to talk to the other kids about it.”

Dick wasn’t expecting that, “How has she been acting?”

“She’s been talking to guests and wandering around every night. She avoids staff who know us like Tess and then will stay in her room for long periods of time on days things aren’t planned or scheduled unless one of the classmates goes and gets her first. For someone fighting to be queen bee of the school, isolating yourself and speaking to people outside the group you’re trying to win over seems like a waste of time.” Not entirely the truth, but Damian wanted to look more into it before assuming anything.

Dick hummed, “Yeah, okay, that’s weird. Is there a pattern to the people she talks to?”

“Not really.”

“Okay, so there isn’t a pattern and we know that she’s smart enough not to do stupid things like this.”

Damian snapped, “Unless gaining control of the class isn’t her goal anymore. She said that earlier too when we first met her in the gym after she took those photos. She said Adrien wasn’t even third place, I thought that meant she wasn’t looking to take Adrien anymore. What if she just switched up everything?”

“If that’s the case, then what’s her new goal? What does she want? She’s just a teenager.”

“You should probably ask Marinette about it. In the meantime, I’m going to go talk to Max.”

“Max?”

“Yeah, Max. He seems to have taken a liking to the computer room, Father finds him there often with his robot. I’ve been having them look over the footage just to see if they notice anything.”

“Wait, so he knows about Lila being a complete psycho?”

“He will now.”

Dick pinched the bridge of his nose, “You do realize that the last time we just sprang that information on someone there was a huge argument?”

“You also realize that Tim did it out of spite towards Alya and scolded our whole friend group for not realizing it sooner, right? I’m just telling Max to watch over the tapes. If he figures something out then that’s all on him.”

“Touché.” Damian was about to turn away before Dick shouted, “Wait! Damian, you know you can trust me, right?”

“Yes, Dick.”

“Okay, just making sure.” Damian nodded before finally leaving. Dick stood there alone for a bit while he gathered his thoughts. He started talking to himself, “Okay, recap. Your brother is going through a bad break up, one of your friends is threatened to be kidnapped by his own crappy father, and now the mean girl might not just be a mean girl. Great. Totally have this in order.” Dick nodded, “Yeah, okay. It’s all coming together.”

“What’s coming together?” Dick jumped and turned to see Damian walk back in, “What? I forgot my phone.”

“You’re too good at that!”

“At what?”

“Sneaking up on people!”

Damian blinked before asking, “You were doing that weird thinking out loud thing again, weren’t you?”

“I’m trying to prioritize.”

“Then let me help you.” He looked around before grabbing his phone off a table and typing in something. Soon a notification went off on Dick’s phone and he pulled it out. It read, ‘1) Lila. 2) Akumas. 3) Leaving me the hell alone.’

“You think you’re so funny, don’t you?”

“I’m hilarious.”

“You’re stressful.”

Damian shrugged, “I’m your brother. That’s kind of my job.” Dick narrowed his eyes at Damian only to be sent a smirk.

“You know something?”

“What?”

“When we first got on this ship, this is what we were aiming for.” He motioned to Damian’s entire body, “This. Getting you back to acting like yourself.”

“And?”

“I’m surprised to see that even when she’s not around she still helped.”

“How do you know it’s her? Maybe I’m just feeling better.”

“Maybe, but if she wasn’t on this boat could you honestly say you would’ve actually socialized with the class that won?” His lack of an answer was telling, “Even if you don’t get back together, try to just leave on a better note. Leaving things unsaid always ends up in a bad time.”

“I know. I think we’ve all figured that out in one way or another.”

“Good. Tell me when you’re ready to talk. We’ll all help out or give advice.”

“To be fair, most of you guys don’t have the best track record.”

“At least talk to me then? Out of all of us, I probably have the best track record.”

“True.”

“Well?”

Damian paused before saying, “I’ll think about it. Just focus on Lila and Adrien for now, though.”

Dick smiled and nodded, “Yeah, yeah. Got it.” Damian held the door open and tilted his head, telling Dick to head out. Both went their separate ways down the hallways as they tried to follow they’re various missions. Dick went to catch up with Tim while Damian continued to move below deck to talk to Max.

It was weird to talk to Adrien again, but it was almost disappointing. He was so caught up in keeping Adrien on the ship that he forgot that Adrien probably didn’t want to see him either. He couldn’t help it though, something about Gabriel irritated him. The more Gabriel talked the more Damian wanted to punch him square in the face. When Gabriel began talking down to him, it brought Damian back to the first few months of living with Bruce in the manor and how he would often get scolded for his behavior. However, Damian had enough of a backbone to both take the lessons but fight against the aggression. Adrien clearly didn’t have that, at least not as himself. He’d need to look at more footage of Cat Noir to understand his behavior more.

He knew Adrien would probably be punished once back to Paris, but he figured something like that would happen with or without their intervention. For now, he was going to allow Adrien the opportunity to spend the final week free form his prison back home.

Damian supposed that was a good parallel between the two; both hated being locked up in cages. Cat or bird, both needed the freedom to strut around and live a little. Both of their worlds barred them from really allowing them to be themselves. Damian was given the opportunity to do so, despite it not going exactly as planned he still would look back on this trip fondly. He wanted to give the same to Adrien, if not as an apology then just as someone who understands what it’s like growing up with the expectation of perfection. Damian just hoped Adrien would have the courage to take advantage of it.

If not for himself, then for the people of Paris. A heartbroken and depressed Cat Noir would be of no use to Paris or Ladybug. Damian was avoiding a possible liability, but he was still avoiding her. Opening the door to the main computer hub, he was surprised when Markov immediately started pulling on his collar, “We have a feeling you might want to take a look at this.”


	16. Lay Day

Marinette skidded to a halt on the harbor and jumped off the motorcycle, leaving behind a very stunned Jason and a very confused Gina. Jason, actually taking the time to park the cycle and give the keys back to Gina, was just surprised that she knew how to ride the damn thing. She was good at it. He felt a great spike in pride as he chased after her. Gina, parking the second cycle, was just concerned for Adrien. Gina didn’t know a lot, but she knew Marinette cared for him deeply and to have her immediately run off in the middle of an important conversation was worrisome.

Marinette ran to the middle of the main deck and looked around and muttered, “Okay, where are you?” She had half a mind to transform right then and there before she caught a glimpse of blond hair out of the corner of her eye. Getting a better look, the figure was indeed Adrien walking next to Tim. He looked so tired and she could tell Tim was trying to cheer him up. She should’ve felt relief, but instead she just grew protective.

Jason came up beside her and nudged her forward, “Well?”

Marinette gulped and sprinted over to the two young men. She didn’t care if they were out in the open, she was just grateful he didn’t leave. Marinette immediately jumped onto Adrien’s back, startling both boys immensely. “WOAH! Marinette? What are you-”

“I thought you left!” He shut his mouth immediately and sighed, placing his hands over hers as she tightened her grip. “When you called I got so worried! I thought you were gone and that he took you and that you got in trouble and-”

“Princess?” Her breath hitched and all words died in her mouth, “I’m fine. I’m still here. You can calm down.” After a pause, she nodded and loosened her grip a bit. The grip tightened back up when he added, “He’s on the ship though. He still wants me to leave.”

She shook her head, “No way. I’m not letting you.” She peered around Adrien’s back and looked up at Tim, “He’s not leaving.”

Tim could tell Adrien wanted to be comforted by Marinette’s presence, but he just looked like he wanted to run. Tim nudged him, bringing Adrien’s attention to himself to avoid it lingering on the girl clinging to his back. “No, he’s not. We’ll make sure of it.”

Adrien bit his lip, “Maybe I’m blowing this out of proportion. I mean he’s my father-”

Tim snapped at the blond, “So what? That doesn’t mean anything if he treats you like garbage. Adrien, you said so yourself you wanted to stay on this ship and I can tell that this ship is a hundred times better than whatever you have waiting for you back home.”

Marinette agreed, “Plus, whenever something like this happens you get into a bad mood and you get locked up in your house for days. It was almost two weeks last time! Adrien, you shouldn’t go through that. Especially if you haven’t done anything wrong.”

Adrien was about to continue defending his father when Jason walked up beside Tim, making him jump. “Ha! Got you! What’d I miss? Where’s old Agreste?”

Tim quickly elbowed his ribs as revenge, making Jason hunch over and gasp. “He’s on his way to talk to Bruce right now. We caught him up on everything and agree that Adrien is probably better off on the ship.”

Jason recovered and groaned as soon as Tim’s words processed him his head, “Oh Jesus Christ, Adrien is going to be the next addition to the family. You know he likes taking in athletic kids with sad backstories!”

Marinette let go of her hold on Adrien but remained close to him, “Wait, when you guys called I heard you, Dick, and Damian on the other side. Where are the other two?”

Tim shrugged, “I don’t know where Damian is, but Dick should be around here somewhere.”

“Oh great, and I wanted to talk to that boy!” The group looked back to see Gina walking up beside them. She locked eyes with Adrien and waved, “Nice to see you again.”

Adrien smiled and greeted her warmly while Tim just looked confused, “Wait, who are-”

“Marinette’s grandmother, Gina. Nice to meet you. I’m assuming you’re Tim?” She turned to Jason and giggled, “You’re right, he does look like he lives off coffee.”

Tim rolled his eyes, “Nice to meet you. Why did you want to talk to Dick?”

“I didn’t. Already met him, seemed nice. I want the Damian boy.”

“Grandma!” Marinette shook her head, “No! No way! Why don’t you just explore the ship and call it a day?”

“Marinette, I have to meet this boy. Especially after our-” Marinette’s eyes widened and Gina coughed sensing the rising tension, “Okay, fine, but I still want to properly meet him before I have to go. Even if I have to look for him.”

“Well, you won’t have to look for long.” Dick suddenly appeared behind Marinette, making her yelp. Dick chuckled, “Sorry, accident.” Marinette took a deep breath and weakly smiled at Dick. He pet her hair a bit to calm her down, “Anyway, I know where he is. He’s below deck, I’ll just message him to come up here.”

“Oh please no-”

“I would like that very much, thank you, Dick.” Marinette pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed while Dick sent out his message. “What?”

“I don’t know grandma. You insist on meeting my-”

“Young lady, I’d be a terrible grandmother if I didn’t meet this boy after our conversation.” Marinette blushed and Gina shrugged, “Besides, I’ll have better aim at close range.”

“Grandma, no!”

Jason snickered, “Go easy on him, Gina.”

Gina rolled her eyes, “Fine. Fine. No helmet, but now you have to lend me your bike.”

“And have a crazy old French lady ruining my perfect image by riding my cycle all across Europe? No way, one trip was enough. I am _never_ letting anyone touch her after this.” Gina laughed and nudged Jason, “I’m serious.”

Gina took hold of his face and cooed, “Of course you are, sweetheart.” Jason rolled his eyes and pulled away, pushing her hands away from his face. The two seemed to be in their own little world, which was continuing to confuse Tim immensely.

He just pointed at Gina and Jason, ready to ask a bunch of questions, but Marinette shook her head, “Long story.” That seemed to satisfy him for the moment as he motioned for them to follow him, “Where are we going now?”

“Well, like I said before, Bruce and Gabriel are going to talk and I wanted to see if we could be part of the conversation.”

Marinette asked, “Wouldn’t it be bad for Adrien to be there though? He could just try to intimidate Adrien into going with him.”

Dick countered, “You clearly don’t know Bruce. That man is a lot of things, intimidating and fatherly are two of those major things. He’d catch onto Gabriel’s manipulation tactics and immediately put him in his place.”

“I really want to meet this man now.” Gina looked at Jason and added, “I have a lot of questions.”

“Gina, maybe now isn’t the time-”

“Joking, joking. I’ll save that for when you come to visit Marinette.” She turned to her granddaughter and wagged a finger in her face, “As soon as you get word that they’re coming, you will call me. I want to be there.”

Pushing the finger away, Marinette asked, “Okay? But I don’t understand why?”

“That’s okay. You don’t have to. Just know I have unfinished business with that man.”

This caught Tim’s attention, “And what, pray tell, might that be?”

Gina and Jason shared a look, “Just some things that have been stuck in my head for ten years.”

Before Tim could continue further down this new rabbit hole, Adrien pointed to someone on the balcony. “That’s my father.”

The group turned to see a tall, slender, grumpy man talking to his assistant. One of the first things they all noticed was a lack of any warmth coming from the man. Dick asked, “Do we still want to intervene?”

“You know you guys could always watch them through the security cameras.” Everyone but Marinette and Adrien turned around to see Damian standing beside them. Instead the two flinched, easily recognizing the voice of the boy they fought with a few nights earlier. Adrien, despite the previous run-in, had a hard time bringing himself to interact with the boy if he didn’t have to. However, when Adrien finally did turn to face him, he noticed that Damian looked impatient. “By the way, I was in the middle of an important conversation. Who is so important that I needed to run up here?”

Marinette decided to bite the bullet and turn around as well. She regretted it as soon as she met Damian’s eyes. She motioned to her grandmother, suddenly remembering the reason for his appearance, “This is my grandma, Gina. She wanted to talk to you.”

Damian’s eyes darted between her and Gina before he narrowed them. Gears were turning in his head as he remembered Gina’s face, “Wait a minute, you were the one who threw that helmet at me.”

Gina was blunt in her confession, “Yes I did. Good reflexes by the way.”

“So you just threw your helmet at a kid you never met before?”

“So you were the one who-”

“WELL!” Marinette shoved Gina towards Damian, “I see you two have a lot to talk about so we’ll just leave you two to it! Tim, Damian’s right. Let’s go find someplace **away from here** and watch Bruce and Gabriel talk through surveillance cameras!” She grabbed onto Adrien’s and Tim’s arms and began walking towards the atrium and further into the ship, “Come on! We don’t want to miss anything!”

Before Damian could protest, Jason jumped towards his youngest brother and waved. “I’ll catch up with you guys. I’m going to stay here and make sure these two don’t kill each other.”

Dick turned back and looked between the three, most of his focus lingered on Damian. He was practically praying the boy wouldn’t retreat further into himself and asserting his dominance over Gabriel seemed to satiate his broken heart pretty well, however having a conversation with Marinette’s grandmother might ruin that progress. Dick didn’t want to see that improvement go to waste. “Maybe I should-”

“Dick.” Jason held up his hand and smiled, “He’ll be fine. I got this. Besides, you’d do a lot better than me in making sure Adrien stays on the ship. I’d probably just yell at the old bastard.”

Dick lingered for a moment before turning back and catching up with the rest of their group. A quick look shared between the two and a silent promise to protect their own was made in passing, though not unnoticed by their youngest brother. Damian muttered a quick but relieved “Thanks” before turning to Gina. “Hello.”

Gina didn’t even bat an eye, “As I was saying, so you were the one who won over my granddaughter?”

Blunt and straight to the point, Damian couldn’t decide whether or not that was a good thing. “I am?”

Gina hummed as she walked around him, examining him and then groaning. “I promised my granddaughter I wouldn’t throw anything else at you. Relax.”

Damian knew he probably seemed stiff, but this was simply another situation he wasn’t accustomed to. He was getting ready for anything and his guard was up despite the lack of any real danger to his life. “I don’t understand how you can expect me to relax. You’re the grandmother of the girl who-”

Gina crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes the boy, “The girl who?”

Damian paused and confessed, “The girl who broke up with me.”

“Wait, she did what?” She looked to Jason who seemed just as surprised at this bit of information. Gina groaned, “She never told me that! I’m ready to interrogate you and you’re probably feeling just as bad as she is!”

Damian couldn’t help but look confused considering he was expecting an interrogation as well. The air shifted and tension simmered down, helping Damian relax but only making it more difficult to read the situation. “I’m sorry, what exactly do you need from me?”

“Nothing now!”

“So, may I go back to what I was doing?”

“Oh heavens, no. We still have a lot to talk about.”

Damian wanted to yell in frustration, but he just grit his teeth. “Great.”

“Relax, Damian. All we were told is that you guys got into a fight, but we didn’t know that she was the one to break things off.” Jason ran his fingers through his hair and sighed, “That doesn’t surprise me as much as I thought it would.”

“And what’s that supposed to mean?”

Jason pulled out his phone and tapped away. Gina peered over his shoulder and both smiled, “Found it.” Gina laughed as Jason shoved the phone into Damian’s face.

As soon as he recognized the photo he felt a wave of embarrassment wash over him, “I forgot about that picture.”

Jason seemed pleased with himself, “It’s the best photo of you two, though! You guys look so cute sleeping together-”

Damian attempted to swipe at the phone, only for Jason to pull it out of reach. “Say one more word and I swear I will maim you.”

Gina looked over the picture again and couldn’t help but smile, “That’s so cute.” He bit his tongue, knowing this woman was untouchable at the moment forced Damian to keep his composure. “You both looked so comfortable.”

“Considering we were in an arcade, comfortable isn’t how I would describe it.” He locked his eyes onto Jason’s phone, “Todd, I need one reason to not break your phone right now.”

“You know after finding you two, we all were just putting bets to see who would confess first. It's one of the first times I’ve ever seen you let your guard down like that around anyone.” Jason smirked and pulled his phone back, “Anyway, if you’re looking for a reason, you have two right here.” Damian watched as Gina and Jason smirked, “You have your only insights on Marinette’s thoughts and opinions on you standing right in front of you. We could help, you know? Don’t mess this up for yourself.” Gina and Jason, doing their best to sell the offer, sent him dazzling and smug smiles as they waited for his response.

Damian seemed stunned for a moment before shaking his head, “Nope. Not even going to entertain that.”

“WHAT?” Both seemed to stumble over each other as they processed his answer, “Why not?”

Damian was grateful for the support, but also hasn’t forgotten how he ended up in this position. “Me prying for answers she didn’t specifically give me is what got me into this mess in the first place.”

Jason’s shoulders fell, “Oh.” He rubbed his temples and nodded, “Okay, yeah. She mentioned a secret. I get it now.”

“Get what?”

Jason looked between Gina and Damian before explaining to Gina, “You want to know why I was always too good at finding and fighting criminals?” Damian furrowed his brows while he wondered what Jason was thinking. Sure, Jason wasn’t the smartest out of the group, but he knew how to keep a secret.

Gina hesitantly nodded as Damian watched Jason carefully, “Jason, who exactly is this woman?” More importantly, Damian wondered what this woman meant to Jason Todd.

Jason could sense Damian’s spike in anxiety over a possible breach of information, but he figured Gina deserved some answers after all these years. Jason took a deep breath and began with something simple, “Damian, this is Gina. Gina, this is Damian. Damian is my youngest brother. Gina is someone who took care of me when I was_ away_ ten years back. She’s like family, but I never really talked about myself.”

Both nodded and continued to watch him like a hawk as he thought over his next words carefully. “In our family, we’re taught to be nosy and cautious. If we don’t know something about someone, it could be a liability to us. I trusted you and you answered every question I ever asked so I didn’t feel the need to go snooping in your life, but Damian’s different. He doesn’t feel comfortable until he knows all the information and that’s not really his fault. That’s just how we were raised.” Jason placed a hand on Damian’s shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze, “Damian probably uncovered something that they weren’t ready to share with him yet, but don’t be too hard on him. That’s just how we stay safe in this family.”

Gina bit her lip and frowned, “You must have a lot of enemies then.” Neither denied the claim, so she continued to pry. “Is that why you left? You weren’t safe?” Jason didn’t respond, but he didn’t have to. Gina looked between the two before pulling both into a hug. Jason and Damian seemed shocked for a moment, both unprepared for the openly affectionate grandmother. After processing the situation, Jason immediately reciprocated. However, Damian didn’t know how to respond. He didn’t know this woman well enough and what he did know made him nervous. Clearly most of whatever was going on here was for Jason’s sake, yet she still kept a firm hold on him. Damian reluctantly hugged the woman back and, while he’d never admit it, he enjoyed it. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. This stuff can happen.”

“It shouldn’t happen to good kids though.” Jason bit his tongue to avoid correcting her. Gina pulled back and smiled at the two before she grabbed Damian’s face and looked it over. She tried to lighten the mood by teasing the poor boy, “I just realized something. You probably looked adorable ten years ago.”

While he didn’t pull away, Damian did glare at the woman. “Does this run in your family? Marinette did the same thing when she saw photos of me from a few years back.”

“Baby faces are cute.”

“That’s a yes.” She rolled her eyes and released Damian’s face after a few moments. Jason couldn’t help but be amused by his youngest brother dealing with normal issues. It made him feel like Damian wasn’t too far gone in their unconventional lifestyle. It was surprising though, the Damian he remembers wouldn’t have tolerated the condescending actions but the Damian he was currently with continued to carry a tame conversation without yelling or scolding the woman. Jason couldn’t tell if this was Damian growing up or acting his age, but he was happy for him.

“Gina?”

She looked up at Jason innocently despite her arms being restrained by Damian for trying to mess with his hair, “Hm?”

“I think he’s right. We don’t have to tell him much. We did our jobs; figure out what’s going on and lighten their moods.”

She pulled back her hands, much to Damian’s relief, “We had jobs?”

“You know what I mean.”

Gina put a hand on her hip and looked around, “I guess you’re right.” She ran her fingers through her short hair and frowned, “Now where did that girl run off to?”

“I can ask. Give me a second.” Damian pulled out his phone and typed out a message to Dick, “You should stay with us. Having an adult around might peer pressure Gabriel into behaving.”

“I doubt it.” Gina shrugged, “Every time someone has talked about that man, he seemed almost untouchable.”

“Well, he won’t be for long. Especially not after Father is finished with him. He seems to be in a bad mood along with the rest of the ship.”

“The rest of the ship? Everyone seems fine to me.” Damian looked away from his phone and looked around. Sure enough, the oppressive air surrounding them seemed to dissipate for the moment. Things seemed light, people looked happy and more energetic, and he didn’t understand.

Jason seemed to have made the same observation after muttering, “What the hell?”

Damian quickly finished the message and put his phone away as he continued to survey the people around him. This ship has been plagued with bad energy and bad luck since this trip started, but right now everything seemed normal. Spirits were high, laughter could be heard, and this ship looked like a serene vacation getaway again. “It wasn’t like this before.”

“It wasn’t like this at all this morning either.” Jason could tell something changed, but he couldn’t tell what. Neither boy could. “When did it start?”

“I’d have to look at the footage and – Max!” Damian cursed to himself as he pulled out his phone, “I completely forgot I was talking to Max!”

“The smart kid from Marinette’s class? What about him?”

“He’s been helping me with–” Damian suddenly looked up and glued his eyes onto Gina. She seemed confused and, despite Jason’s trust in the woman, he couldn’t help but be protective with information. “– something. Look, I have to go. I’ll forward you Dick’s message, okay?” He waved to Gina, “Thank you for taking care of my brother.”

“Thank you for taking care of my granddaughter.”

“I don’t think-”

Gina put her hand up, interrupting Damian and silencing him with one motion. She said, “I know you don’t want any information, but I doubt this is news to you if your family is as perceptive and protective as Jason says you are. Marinette really cares about you, so that means you did something right. You weren’t terrible to her, otherwise, she wouldn’t have given you the time of day. She’s a good judge of character. A bit naïve, but still sees the good in people. She sees something in you, which means you probably helped her in a lot of ways too.” She waved, “I hope you guys at least stay friends after this. I don’t want family dinners to be awkward when Jason brings you around for visits! Okay?”

Damian licked his lips and nodded at the older woman. He knew everything she said was true; most of these things could be figured out after spending 20 minutes with the girl. Still, hearing it from her grandmother felt different. Felt real in a way. Damian became content with having someone outside of the friend group remind him that Marinette didn’t hate him. “Okay.”

“Good. Tell Max I said hi. Jason and I have to go spy on some rich people now.” Damian rolled his eyes and walked away, returning to his previous agenda while the other two stood together in silence for a moment.

Once Damian was out of earshot, Jason said, “You know, we’ve been trying to tell him that since the fight happened and we got nowhere. It was probably good for him to hear it from someone off the ship.”

“Young love can be really harsh. You have to be gentle with it sometimes.”

“Says the woman who threw a helmet at his head.”

“I said sometimes. I see you’re still not very good at listening.”

Jason cupped his ear and leaned in, “I’m sorry, I couldn’t hear you. It seems like my hearing is going away. Old age and stuff. You know how it is.”

Gina rolled her eyes and playfully smacked his chest, “Come on. I only have a few more hours before I have to go again.”

“Yeah, yeah. Let’s go.”

“Excuse me!” The two turned and noticed a few things about the person. This person was a short old man, an odd choice of clothing made him look both suspicious and inconspicuous. The jacket over his red Hawaiian shirt and a clearly fake mustache tied the look together in a way that Jason couldn’t believe. He carried with him a small, mobile drink cooler. Jason could’ve laughed but the old man asked, “Before you go, I was hoping you could help me find the suites for important guests. I’m looking for the girl who won the contest.”

Meanwhile, the girl in question was biting her nails as she and three others stalked two men on a computer screen. “Tim, raise the volume.”

“It’s up, Marinette. I don’t know what you want me to do, they aren’t the yelling type.”

“That’s a lie. Bruce would absolutely yell at an asshole who deserves it and Gabriel seems the like the type who would when pushed.”

“I won’t be able to hear either of them if you all don’t quiet down!” Dick, Tim, and Marinette all froze for a moment, caught off guard by Adrien yelling. They all stared at him for a moment, shock clear on their faces as Adrien continued to glare at them. The three looked to their feet and mumbled their apologies. Adrien shook his head and took the laptop off of Marinette’s lap, “I’m putting in headphones.”

“But-”

“Marinette, if you say ‘but I can’t hear’ I will actually throw this laptop into the ocean.”

“Please don’t. That’s mine.” Tim watched as Adrien plugged in some earbuds and then handed him one. Tim hesitantly took it, much to the dismay of Marinette and Dick. They watched with pure envy as both boys listened closely to the conversation between the two patriarchs. “Okay, so far it’s still on the mundane stuff. The boat, business, whatever.”

Dick asked, “What else is going on?”

“Oh, here we go.” Tim and Adrien did their best to listen closely and by the looks on their faces, Dick and Marinette wondered if how much damage control they needed.

The audio was softer than he would’ve liked, but he could hear Gabriel make an offhand comment. “Your sons seem eccentric.”

Bruce nodded and took a sip of his water, “Yes. They’re all very spirited, even more so when it concerns their interests or friends.”

Gabriel continued, “I’ve noticed.” Gabriel seemed to look around the den. Tim noticed that Bruce took him to one of the smaller ones, “Interesting décor.”

“How so?”

“These ships.” Gabriel walked over and ran his finger across one of the bottles, “Seems to be a theme.”

“The captain has a fondness for the ships. His most prized ones are in his private den.”

“Of course.” Adrien didn’t know how to feel about this. He didn’t know if his father was tiptoeing around Bruce or if his Father was planning something. At least with the prior it meant he had a better chance of staying on the ship, “As I was saying, your sons, as spirited as they may be, seem to have crossed the line.”

“Please continue. If my boys did step out of line, I would like to know.”

“Glad to hear it.” Gabriel took a sip from his own glass, “Your sons seem to have some tainted view of me in their head. I came here to check up on and retrieve my son after receiving some concerning information about his emotional state. Yet, I get met with aggression and backlash from three of your sons.”

“Three?”

“Damian, Richard, and Timothy.”

“Interesting.”

“They seemed to convince my son that leaving with me is something detrimental and now he is resisting. Based on my knowledge thus far, I can only assume it is from your sons’ influence.” Gabriel speculated, “I can only assume Adrien’s mental and emotional state is related to their influence as well.”

“Tim, what are they saying?”

Tim shushed him and heard Bruce comment, “Fair deduction based on the information given to you. Would you like me to tell you everything that I know?” Gabriel didn’t miss a beat and motioned for him to elaborate. “I’ve gotten the opportunity to meet and get to know your son, both when they first boarded and recently in the past week whenever I’m not in a meeting. Gabriel, I can honestly say that your son is a very remarkable young man.”

Tim felt Adrien grab onto his arm and squeeze as he struggled to maintain composure, “Oh?”

“Yes. Adrien is bright, athletic, and well-mannered. In your words, Adrien can also be very ‘spirited’. However, he’s been a good influence on my sons. He acts as a mediator, which can be a good and a bad thing.”

“I beg to differ.”

“I don’t mean to offend you, but I don’t remember Adrien ever mentioning you contacting him after Akuma attacks or even just to check-in.” Tim and Adrien could feel the air shift through the monitor and Gabriel hummed. “Mr. Agreste, I’ve never had to worry about your son. He has a good heart and good judgment, but he has his faults.”

“Do tell.”

“He’s impulsive and emotional. He sees the best in others but fails to consider their faults as well. This causes unnecessary pain and disappointment.”

“Adrien’s always been like that.”

“Adrien wouldn’t be if he socialized more.”

Silence echoed in the room as Gabriel processed Bruce’s statement, “What are you implying?”

“Mr. Agreste, it’s come to my attention that Adrien wasn’t able to be around other kids his own age until high school. His one friend, Chloe Bourgeois, is hardly enough to develop emotionally and socially to a healthy and appropriate degree.”

“I didn’t come here to talk about child psychology-”

“But you clearly need to when regarding your son.” Bruce calmly continued, “No one is perfect, especially in regards to parenting. As you’ve experienced, I’m not exactly perfect either and while I do not condone their aggressive behavior I do agree with their point.”

“And that point is?”

“Adrien would benefit more from staying on the ship than going home.” Adrien’s nails threatened to dig into Tim’s arm and draw blood, but he continued to do his best to put on a poker face. Tim could tell he probably didn’t realize what he was doing. “Gabriel-”

“With all due respect, _Mr. Wayne_, I’m losing my patience.”

“Little patience is a terrible trait for a businessman.”

“Oh, I’ve been quite patient. I’ve been patient when being barked at by your sons, when I waited for you to leave your meetings, and now while I’m being lectured about my parenting style.”

“Mr. Agreste, your son has opened up quite a lot since boarding. He seems to be comfortable being himself around his friends and my sons. Yes, he is hitting a rough patch with some of his friends, but that’s to be expected. Friends fight. Children fight. We need to let them settle it on their own. You’ve taught your son well and he has a good group surrounding him I believe they’ll be okay if we simply left them alone.”

Gabriel stressed, “While I am glad you enjoy my son’s company, you are not his father.”

“I never said I was.”

“Please understand that while Gotham has their own villains, the ones in Paris are all emotionally charged. His mental and emotional well-being are my highest priorities to keep him safe.”

“As it should be, but isolating him from the world and keeping him locked up is not going to have the effect you think it will.”

“He’s fine.”

“Is he? Gabriel-”

“Do not call me that.”

“You do realize that isolating him is depriving him of a basic human need.”

“And what, _Bruce_, might that be?”

“Connection. Interaction. We are social beings, Mr. Agreste. Your son is incredible at making connections with others. Why would you put him in a cage when he clearly thrives outside of one?”

“Adrien!” The group looked up from the laptop and noticed Chloe, Nino, and Alya rushing over. Adrien handed the laptop completely to Tim and stood up. He barely made it a few steps forward when Chloe tackled him to the ground with Nino and Alya trailing behind. “When I heard Gabriel boarded and that he was looking for you I forced our group to turn back.”

“Chloe, you can’t just-”

“Trust me, it was a small group. Me, Nino, Chloe, Lila, and Nathaniel. Nathaniel forgot his wallet anyway so it was actually a lucky break.”

“And Lila?”

“Who cares?”

Adrien’s face seemed to twist in disbelief, “She didn’t put up a fight?”

Nino shook his head, “As soon as she overheard us talking about you and your pops, she said she’d come.”

“Then why isn’t she here with you guys to see Adrien?” Adrien and Dick seemed to be on the same wavelength at that moment and both turned to Tim. “Where is-”

“Don’t talk to me. I’m trying to listen and they’re getting pretty heated.”

“Who?”

“My Father and Bruce.”

Alya scrambled to get up and immediately shoved Marinette away to sit next to Tim. “Hey!”

“Hush!” She looked at the monitor and grabbed that dangling earbud. “What’d I miss?”

“I’m his father. Keeping my son here on this ship without my permission is kidnapping.”

“You signed a form that proves you gave him permission to stay on this ship until the end of the trip. If Adrien says he wants to stay, then it’s my job to honor the wishes of a passenger on my ship.”

“You say that as if you were the captain.”

“Worse. The owner.” Bruce straightened out his jacket and leaned towards Gabriel, “I understand that you want to keep him close, but you will only suffocate him.”

“He’s fine.”

“He’s not.”

“He is and he will continue to be so once he’s back in Paris!” Tim gulped, knowing that as soon as someone finally raised their voice it could become a screaming match.

“He’s fifteen, Gab-”

“Address me as Mr. Agreste or not at all.”

“Adrien, how are you feeling? Do you need me to go in there and yell at him?”

Nino helped Adrien sit up and gave him a side hug, “Serious offer, dude. She was fired up on the way back.”

“Oh really?” Adrien looked at the girl still laying on his legs from the fall and asked, “What were you going to do?”

Chloe felt her cheeks heat up as she quickly sat up and straightened herself out, “Well-”

“Well?”

“You know that your father has a soft spot for me anyway.”

“Of course.”

“But I can be incredibly persuasive when necessary.”

“Obviously.”

“So he’d be ridiculous to let you leave after I’m through with him.” Chloe crossed her arms and continued to assert her dominance, “After all, I am the mayor’s daughter. Plus, I’m the great Audrey Bourgeois’ daughter. No one gives me enough credit for that.” The faint hint of pink lingered on her cheeks as she waited for a response. Adrien chuckled before looking to his feet and sighing. This immediately caught Chloe’s attention, “Hey, you okay?”

Adrien couldn’t help but falter, “I don’t know.”

Alya flailed her hand around, successfully gaining their attention. “Hey, does anyone else know your father’s here?”

Adrien shook his head, “No. Why?”

“His assistant just came in and said someone was here to see him.”

“What?” Chloe helped Adrien up and soon there were six people crowded over a laptop. Alya handed the earbud to Adrien.

“Is this really the right time to bring someone into this conversation?”

“Bring them in, Nathalie.” Nathalie nodded and walked away off-screen and soon returned with a familiar face. “Miss Rossi.”

“Mr. Agreste.” It was almost comedic, the sounds of six people screeching were even heard faintly through the footage and was acknowledged by Bruce, Nathalie, and Lila. “What was-”

“Miss Rossi was the one who warned me that Adrien wasn’t having the best time anymore.”

Bruce pressed, “Miss Rossi? Why is she in contact with you?”

“I’ve been a family friend with the Agrestes for a while now. I really care about Adrien, so I give his assistant updates from time to time when I feel that Adrien’s well-being is in jeopardy.”

“What exactly is in jeopardy?”

Lila smirked and walked around the room, looking and touching most of the décor while she pondered over her words. “You see, I never really liked Adrien’s friend group. I always thought they’d bring him down somehow.” She trailed off and sighed, “Adrien was doing fine before. Now, he seems depressed and I know for a fact it’s his friends’ fault.” She spun around and frowned, “Specifically, it’s Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Damian Wayne’s fault.”

Gabriel frowned, “So not only has one of his classmates hurt him but also one of your sons. The one that threatened me, I might add.”

“I seem to recall saying that arguments are normal among friends.”

Lila shook her head, “Adrien doesn’t argue. I should know, we’re very close.” She walked to Gabriel’s side and held her head high as she declared, “Getting him away from all these toxic people would be good for him. He needs to get away from Marinette especially. Don’t you know she was almost expelled from the school?”

Bruce countered, “Don’t you know that was on false allegations? False allegations, I might add, you fabricated.”

Lila faltered in her stance and frowned, “How did you-”

Bruce shrugged, “She was the winner of my contest; I had to do a very detailed background check. My company is very cautious and I will warn you that we find everything.”

Gabriel countered, “Marinette has always been someone on my radar. She’s won a contest of mine. She’s also been engaged with my son since he started school. In my opinion, I figured she was just an admirer but Lila brought some things to my attention.”

Lila elaborated, “She’s tried to sneak into their manor multiple times, she’s stolen a few of his things, and she’s just been an overbearing super fan. It was cute at first, but after I found her outside the manor walls after failing to climb over them I thought she was nuts.”

Bruce hummed, “This was when she was-”

“Thirteen.”

“Has she continued this behavior?”

Lila shook her head, “No, luckily. In fact, Marinette and Adrien got into an argument before coming here. Adrien obviously cares about her and what she thinks and she stops talking to him? Argues with him? She’s not good enough to be around him and the fact that his other friends support her means they aren’t good enough either.”

“And I suppose you are?”

“I’m not the one who’s causing him to lock himself up in his room.”

Gabriel shook his head and stated, “We’re done here. I’m taking him home whether he likes it or not.”

“Gabriel-”

“I said stop calling me that!” Lila stepped back and Gabriel clenched his fist, “He’s coming home!”

Bruce stood up and raised his voice, “I told my sons I’d talk to you.”

“I don’t care about what your sons have to say.”

“I think you should.” Bruce pulled out his phone and began showing him pictures, “This girl is good at exaggerating the negative. They got past that initial argument fairly quickly and this recent one will pass as well. They care deeply for each other and these pictures prove that your son enjoys spending time with them. With Marinette especially! Just because they aren’t having a picture-perfect friendship doesn’t mean they’re ‘toxic’?” Bruce turned to Lila and elaborated, “Toxic people will dictate who their friends can and cannot talk to. Toxic people will monopolize their time. Toxic people will not take into consideration what their friend is feeling. I can say for a fact that Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Alya Césaire, Nino Lahiffe, and Chloe Bourgeois are all very good friends to Adrien.”

Before Lila could counter Gabriel said, “Where did you take these?”

“I didn’t. His friends and my sons sent these to me. Like I said before, he’s very good at making connections.” Bruce walked over and placed a hand on Gabriel’s shoulder, “He’ll be fine. I promise you that if he ever decides he wants to go home that I’ll pay for it myself and get him on the very next flight. For now, give him a bit of freedom. He’ll appreciate it.”

The silence in the room was deafening as the two men stared at each other. Tim and Adrien tuned out all their friends’ questions to try and anticipate Gabriel’s next move. Adrien was vibrating from the anxiety when Gabriel shook off Bruce’s arm and walked out of the den. No words exchanged, just the sound of a door closing behind him. Nathalie quickly followed him out of the room, but Bruce blocked Lila from leaving. “What?”

“You seem to have a lot of complaints against a girl who won you a free cruise trip. She spoke highly of you in the paper as well.”

Lila crossed her arms, “So?”

“What do you have against her? Your animosity towards her is clear.”

“She calls me a liar and a manipulator. She’s even cornered me in the bathroom once and demanded I ‘tell the truth and stop lying’. She hates me and she’s always hated me since day one.”

“So are you lying?” Before she could respond, Bruce added, “Remember, if I decide to look into this I will find everything. Every white lie and every misstep, I’ll have it in a neat report on my desk by tomorrow.”

Lila bit her lip and crossed her arms, “I feel threatened.”

Bruce stepped aside and motioned towards the door, “Have a good day Miss Rossi.” Lila slowly walked out of the room and hearing the door click behind her invited an even greater overbearing aura. Bruce turned to the camera, “I talked to him, but he’s right. Gabriel’s still his father. Tell Adrien I hope he stays with us.” Tim and Adrien both nodded, forgetting he couldn’t see them and closed the laptop.

“So what happened? What’d Lila say?”

“Forget Lila, what did Gabriel say?”

“Adrien?” Adrien turned to Chloe and she asked, “Are you okay?”

Adrien looked between her and the closed laptop before confessing, “I don’t know.”

Dick turned to Tim, “What’d he say?”

Tim shook his head, “He didn’t say anything.”

“What?”

“He didn’t say anything.”

Adrien rubbed his eyes and mumbled, “Something’s not right.”

“Why do you say that?”

“My father isn’t the type to just walk away like that. He always has the last word.” Adrien bit his lip and ran his fingers through his hair, “He’s mad.” He handed Tim the laptop and took out his earbud, “I have to find him. I’m just going to go-”

“Adrien, no! You heard Bruce-”

“Oh, I heard him.” Tim watched as Adrien paced back and forth in front of him, “You know, I wasn’t expecting to be analyzed like that.”

Tim’s shoulders fell and a mix of feelings churned in his stomach. It was like watching your therapist read off everything that was wrong about you, it was violating and you feel exposed. “I know. I didn’t think he’d say all of that.”

“Tim, what are you guys talking about?” Dick looked between the two, “Come on. Talk to us. What are you upset about, Adrien?”

“Apparently, there’s a lot of things I could be upset about according to Bruce.” Tim winched while Adrien continued to trudge through his emotions, “What am I supposed to do with that information? What am I supposed to do now?” He growled and grabbed his head, “Why am I so mad? Shouldn’t I be sad or freaking out? What’s happening?”

“Adrien-”

Adrien turned around and snapped, “What? What do you want, Marinette?” Both seemed to be taken aback by the sudden show of aggression. Marinette retreated and moved behind Alya while Adrien debated with himself. The air shifted to one full of tension. Migraines could be felt forming in the back of everyone’s heads as they tried to figure out their next move.

Dick walked over to Adrien and patted him on the back, “Let’s get some air.”

“I didn’t-”

“I know.” Chloe jogged up to his side and glared at Dick, “Hey, hey, you can come. Put away those daggers.” She seemed to relax, but Dick watched her hesitate to reach out to Adrien. Her hand hovered over his arm while she debated latching on. Whether Adrien intentionally did it or not, he moved closer to her and closed the gap. Chloe latched on and stayed close as they walked out the door.

Alya nudged Tim once Adrien was out of earshot, “Tell us what happened. What’d they say?”

“I don’t think I should say anything.” Tim stood up and began walking towards his room, “I’m going to go put this away.”

“I’ll go with you.”

“Marinette, it’d probably be better if you just stayed here for now. Just go find your grandma or something.” Tim didn’t miss the hurt expression on Marinette’s face, but he wanted to just leave. It was a gut feeling he couldn’t explain, but he figured he just felt guilty. He didn’t mean to put Adrien in that position. Tim rubbed his temples and mumbled to himself, “What is going on?”

Alya looked back to Marinette and rubbed her back, “Okay. I’ve been avoiding asking you this, but now I really have to know. Why is Adrien so mad at you?” Marinette felt her throat close up and she hugged herself. Alya grabbed Marinette by the shoulders and shook her a bit before demanding, “Marinette, you have to tell us. I can’t help you if you don’t tell us. Adrien won’t talk and from what I hear from Nino, neither will Damian.”

Nino nodded and sat beside Marinette, “I want my best friend back. I want our vacation back. We were having a good time until this happened.” Marinette could feel her mouth opening and closing, but no words came out. Nino felt frustrated and while he didn’t mean to, he snapped at the girl. “Marinette, talk!”

Alya’s eyes searched for something, anything, she could work with. Marinette’s eyes gave it away, “What are you so afraid of?” 

“I think I have an idea.” The three looked back to see Jason, Gina, and an old man walking with them. Alya looked back to Marinette and saw that she looked as pale as a ghost. The old man spoke calmly while addressing the group, “Marinette, maybe we should talk?”

Jason looked between the two before stepping in the old man’s line of sight, “Look, Marinette probably should go to her room and rest. She doesn’t look-”

“Jason.” Marinette released herself from Alya’s grip and grabbed his arm, “No! No. He’s right.” She straightened herself out and nodded, “Let’s talk.”

Gina couldn’t help but ask, “Who is this man?”

“His name is Fu and he’s helped me out a few times. He’s a friend.” While her words were kind, Marinette’s face was full of ambivalence. “We have a lot to catch up on.”

“I suppose we do. It’s been a while.” He held his hand out to her and Marinette took it, “It’ll only be a minute and then she’s all yours.”

Marinette looked at her family and friends and did her best to be reassuring, “It’s okay. I’ll be back.”

“Marinette?” Alya took a deep breath before reminding her, “You still have to tell us when you get back.” Marinette didn’t respond, instead she looked to her feet and frowned before walking away with Fu.

Jason turned back to Alya and asked, “What was that about?”

Alya shook her head and rubbed her temples, leaning onto Nino for support as she gathered her thoughts. “I hate to say it, but I’m starting to get fed up.” She admitted, “If she would just tell us what all this is about then we could help! Why is that so hard for her?”

“Because it’s a secret.” Alya looked to Gina who continued to elaborate, “You might be her best friend, but everyone has their secrets. This secret in particular is what started this fight.”

Before Alya could respond, Nino interrupted, “That sounds right. Adrien always tells me things, but not this time. Do we know what the secret is?”

“No, but Damian does which is what started this whole thing.”

“Who told him?”

“He just figured it out.” Jason scratched his chin and looked bored as he addressed Alya, “Considering where we come from, are you really surprised?” Alya thought for a moment before realizing he was talking about his work back in Gotham. She shook her head and he tapped his temple, “Exactly. Adrien didn’t know Damian knew too and now we’re here.” He grumbled, “If they would just talk-”

“That’s the thing though!” Alya was fuming with frustration, “She usually would! He usually would! Both of them talk about their feelings! They’d wouldn’t just ignore each other like this!” Alya was close to pulling out her hair, “I feel like we’re all losing our minds.”

“Now I know what you mean by bad mood.” The group turned to Gina as she continued to think out loud, “I feel like I want to throw up all of a sudden.”

“You and everyone else on this ship.” A man dressed in a disheveled uniform walked up, “Sorry, but this trip’s gone to hell.”

“And you are?”

“Charles.” He walked around the four, analyzing them the same way they analyzed him. Charles scoffed before shrugging, “What? Not my fault.”

“Probably not, but you’re the one barging into a stranger’s conversation.”

“Fair enough.” He straightened himself out and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, “I think you guys already know this, but the crew hates you guys.”

Alya rolled her eyes, “I know, Marinette told me you guys think we’re the reason the Akumas are coming.”

“Word spreads fast.”

“Do you believe it?” Charles looked at Nino confused before he explained, “The rumors. Do you believe the rumors?”

Charles thought for a second before shaking his head, “No, but only because I like your class president.”

“Marinette?”

“Yeah. She’s been nice so far and I doubt she wants us dead.” Charles took out a cigarette from his back pocket.

Alya couldn’t help but comment, “Those things kill, you know?”

“Yeah, I know. I’ve been clean for three months, but this trip has me so stressed out.” He looked at Jason and asked, “You got a lighter?”

Jason’s shoulders fell before tossing him one, “Do us a favor and go outside. I want to keep my streak going.”

Charles nodded and patted him on the back while walking towards the deck, “More power to you.” Charles paused for a moment and turned back to the group, “Hey, how do they even get here?”

“How who gets here?”

“The supers. Your heroes are from Paris, right? And Batman should be in Gotham. How do you think they get here?”

Gina hummed and admitted, “I want to know that too.”

Jason, Nino, and Alya all looked at each other for a moment before Nino shrugged, “I don’t know. Ladybug and Cat Noir are magic, so maybe that helps. I don’t know about Batman though.”

Alya nodded, “Batman and his crew always seem to find a way to show up where they’re needed.”

“Yeah, in Gotham but we’re on a boat halfway around the world.” The upper floors started to get a bit more rowdy, but Charles ignored the noise to continue his train of thought. “I mean, why this ship?”

Alya pinched the bridge of her nose and growled, “I don’t know what you want me to tell you! I don’t know! I don’t know why the Akumas are here. I don’t know how Ladybug and Cat Noir are here. I don’t know how Batman, Nightwing, or any of them get here. _I don’t know_!”

“I know.” Everyone’s head snapped to Jason as he chuckled to himself. The commotion up above was getting closer, but they continued to wait for his answer. “Don’t let anyone else know about this okay?” Charles nodded and the mischievous look in Jason’s eye told Alya that this was going to be good. “So you know how Bruce owns the ship, right?”

“Yeah.”

“And Bruce is dedicated to making Gotham the best it can be.” Jason paused to suppress another laugh and did his best to keep a straight face while he lied through his teeth, “Okay. As Bruce’s kid, I really shouldn’t be saying this but him and Batman will meet up and talk about improving Gotham.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, yeah, they met through Commissioner Gordon. Anyway, these visits got more frequent and well…” His voice trailed off and Jason bit his lip as he waved his hands around. It was a few seconds before he added, “You know? So if Bruce is on this ship and he’s in trouble, I’m pretty sure Batman would come running.”

It took a few moments for everyone to catch onto the implications before everyone gasped and Charles, in disbelief, yelled, “_No_!”

Jason threw his hands up and shrugged, “I mean I don’t judge the guy. It’s whatever! But that’s probably why Batman and his team’s around. Just saying.” Alya did her best to try and hold down the laughter threatening to ruin this beautiful tall tale and one look at Nino told her he was doing the same. She just did her best to focus on the noise upstairs. There was some commotion, but she couldn’t figure out if it was just the guest getting rowdy or not. No one screamed yet, so she figured it was safe.

“You’re messing with me, right?”

“I mean, think about it. Both have the same interests. Both like to keep to themselves. I mean, that whole playboy thing could be him, you know, pretending or something.”

Charles’ brain seemed to be filled with incredible scenarios and suddenly his face flushed a bright red. “Oh my god.” He ran his fingers through his hair and he felt like he just uncovered a giant conspiracy. “Oh my god!”

Jason bit his lip and nodded, “You still want that cigarette?”

Charles looked at the item in his hands before smiling and throwing it in a nearby trashcan. “No, I guess not. That got my mind off things.”

Jason returned the smile and opened his mouth to respond before someone screamed in the background. This time, it was fairly close. Everyone ran to the nearest staircase and called up, “Hey! Everyone okay?” The sounds seemed to stop and the sounds of the creaking ship echoed in their ears. Jason called up one more time, “Hey! What’s happening up there?”

A few moments passed and the group started to wonder if they heard a scream at all before a book flew down the steps. Charles disappeared in a momentary black haze once the book hit his chest before flying back up and returning to a man wearing a black dress suit with white vertical stripes. His skin was a pale purple as he looked at the book and scowled.

Jason gathered the group and pushed them away from the stairs. “Run! Go find-“

Alya watched her friend get sucked into the book before returning to the Akuma. She pulled out her phone and started recording before Nino started pulling her arm, “Alya, let’s go!”

“I have to record so Ladybug knows we need her!”

“Ladybug?” The two turned to face the Akuma. He repeated himself, “Ladybug and Cat Noir? Where are they?”

Gina ran in between the Akuma and the two teens, “Get away from them!” She looked back and called over her shoulder, “Run! Signal Ladybug and run!”

Nino quickly pulled Alya to her feet and pulled her away towards the front of the ship. Alya looked back, pointing the phone’s camera towards the action. She didn’t mean to see the fear on Gina’s face as the Akuma sucked her into his book as well. She gulped and turned the camera to face her, “Ladybug! Cat Noir! We need you! We need you n-“

“Alya!” Before Nino could react, he felt something wrap around his torso and suddenly he was pulled back. The quick motion had him floored, landing roughly on his back before rolling for a bit. He groaned for a bit before feeling someone picking him up off the ground. “What-”

“Nino, I need you to move! Now!” The bindings around his torso made him think it was Ladybug for a moment before realizing a few things. The voice was different and this wasn’t string, it was rope. He forced himself to focus on the person standing over him, “Nino!”

As the boy pulled him up, Nino analyzed the costume. The bright colors and the bright ‘R’ on his chest helped him put two and two together, “Robin?” He nodded and Nino chuckled as they continued to flee. He couldn’t help but admit, “You know, I was wondering if you would ever show up.”

“You and everyone else, now _let’s go_!” Robin could practically feel Nino grinning beside him as they ran further away. Despite knowing the Akuma would catch up to them, Robin knew his presence would alert everyone in his family. He came on the boat to get away from the suit and he managed to do it thus far, but after what he saw on the monitors something in his gut told him he should intervene this time around. “Max, Markov, where’s the Akuma now?”

The earpiece filled with some static before Max’s voice was finally heard, “He hung back and picked up Alya’s phone. He wants Ladybug and Cat Noir to show up to take their miraculous.”

Markov jumped in and the whirring of his propeller could be heard in the background. “This is very different from all the other Akumas! None of them have asked specifically for the miraculous so far!”

“Do you think it’s because he’s from Paris? He knows the deal?”

“I don’t know. It’s that or Hawk Moth has finally spoken to one of his Akuma.”

“Max, I need you to warn Marinette, Father, and Tim that the Akuma is here. Tell my family that Robin showed up. They’ll get here quickly.”

“And Marinette?”

Robin frowned and looked at Nino before confessing, “Tell her that the Akuma got Adrien and the others.”

Nino felt sick.


	17. Broadside

“Carapace! Shield!” Flying through the air like a frisbee, the shield intercepted the book and knocked it off course allowing Ladybug to jump out of its way. She spoke into her yo-yo and surveyed the situation. “Robin, Red Robin, how many pages has he filled up? Talk to me!”

A grunt was heard on the other end of the communicator, “He’s filled up about half of the book!”

“Batman, Max, we need more things to throw at him! Tell us where to go!”

Max bit his tongue as he and Markov quickly looked through the cameras, “I’d say the best course of action is to lead him back upstairs to Bruce’s main den. Lots of books and other items to throw at him.”

She could practically see Batman scowl as she rolled out of the way. Red Robin took it upon himself to direct the Collector’s attention away from the spotted hero and to himself. Ladybug silently thanked him before returning her attention to her yo-yo, “I need a route, Max!”

A rough voice answered her call this time around, “You guys are heading towards a set of stairs. As soon as you lead him up, head right and turn down the first hallway on your left. The big set of double doors. You can’t miss it.”

“Thank you, Bru- I mean, Batman!” Ladybug covered up her snort as Carapace quickly covered up his mistake. Batman grunted in response as he made his way over to the den. His entrance was less than stealthy as his smoke bomb filled the area. Ladybug felt herself being yanked aside and she was suddenly able to see again. She looked around and saw Carapace being hauled out soon after her by Red Robin as they made a break for the stairway.

She tried pulling her arm out of an iron grip, but it was to no avail. “Batman, you can let go of my arm.”

“You said we’d talk next time we met. I still don’t trust you, so this time I don’t plan on letting you escape.”

Ladybug quirked her brow as she looked over at Carapace and Robin for some kind of answer. Carapace just shrugged while Robin simply glared at the old bat. “Uh, dudes!” The four looked back at the smoky area. Ladybug narrowed her eyes as they waited for the Akuma to follow them. Instead, out of the mist came a flying sketchbook.

“Heads up!” Heads dropped as the book flew right over them, quickly returning to its owner. Carapace’s voice wavered slightly, “He’s gaining on us!”

“Up the stairs! Now!” Ladybug yelped as Batman quickly turned up the stairs and nearly pulling her arm out of her socket. She looked around and recognized the area from when she first visited after the initial Akuma. She remembered Bruce rewarding her. She wondered how he would react once he knew about her identity. Would he be mad or would he understand? She hoped for the later as they barged into the den.

She yanked her arm out of his grip and ran towards the shelves, “Get all the books. Anything not nailed to the ground can be used here.”

She cringed as he could hear a voice getting closer calling for her, “Ladybug, give me your miraculous!”

She shook her head, “Lucky Charm!” A large spotted slingshot fell into her arms and she looked at it curiously, “What the-“

“I used to have one of these!” Red Robin grinned and he ushered Ladybug and Robin to either side of him. “Batman, keep him in the doorway! Carapace, bring us ammo!”

Ladybug pulled at the elastic on her side and grinned, “Oh, this should be fun.”

Red Robin looked at her wide-eyed, “_Should be_? The guy’s a jerk, this’ll be great!” Collector soon barreled through the hallways. Once he reached the doorway, the Collector found himself in one on one combat with Batman himself. The two went at it as Batman carefully dodged the swipes he took with the book in hand. Carapace handed Red Robin a few heavy books and Red Robin began to take aim.

Robin grit his teeth, “Any day now!”

“Shut up!” Red Robin waited for a good enough opening to shoot before finally firing. The books flew through the air and as expected and the collector caught them to avoid being hit. “More ammo!”

The Collector cursed under his breath after a particularly painful kick to the face. He wiped his chin and kept his book at a safe distance. The Collector took a more defensive stance while fighting Gotham’s Dark Knight. He looked over at the rest of the group as they began aiming their next set of books and scoffed, “You think a few books are going to stop me?”

The young man shrugged, “Who knows, but if one hits you in your face I’ll count it as a win!” Red Robin fired off another set of books at the Akuma. Red Robin didn’t hesitate to fill the slingshot with more items Carapace provided and grinned.

Robin shook his head, “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were having fun with this.”

“C’mon. After today, this is _therapy_.” Another set of books flew through the air and despite the playful atmosphere, Ladybug couldn’t help but remember the tension from minutes ago. “Ladybug, tighten the rope!” She nodded and pulled harder, noticing something a bit larger being placed in the center pad.

Ladybug narrowed her eyes, “Is that-” As soon as Red Robin let go, she caught the light reflecting off the glass bottle before it was sucked up by the Collector’s book. She felt a bit guilty for using the ships as ammo. Still, she noticed that the larger objects took up full pages. If she remembered correctly, it took about two to three smaller items to fill a page. She looked over at Carapace and pushed down her attachment to the objects, “Bring us as many as those as you can! Anything the same size will work too!”

The beeping alerted her of her time limit. 4 minutes.

“On it!”

Robin sent her a curious glance before noticing Red Robin send off another hoard of books from Bruce’s private collection. Robin looked over at his father fighting with Adrien’s. Sure, he was akumatized but he still felt a tinge of guilt for the blond. Adrien’s father probably wouldn’t have come if it wasn’t for the previous night and the shockwaves of his actions were still being felt. He watched as another ship flew past them, bottle still intact before being trapped in the book. He briefly wondered if Staller would still consider it protected from the world in this state before turning his attention to the people in the room.

The plan seemed to be working fine enough. Ladybug and Red Robin seemed to be enjoying throwing things at the Akuma. Carapace did his best to gather as many items as he could while avoiding the flying sketchbook. As for his father, he noted the actual thought that went into his attacks. The Collector fought better than expected, he chalked it up to being akumatized but something in his movements told him otherwise. The Collector’s movements were too fluid. Too natural. Other Akumas could fight but they tended to be clumsier as they navigated the new powers.

A set of beeping caught his attention and he looked back at Ladybug. She was so caught up in the moment, her focus solely on the Collector, she almost didn’t notice the timer ticking down.

3 minutes left.

Normally he wouldn’t be so worried, but the timer added stress to the situation. Robin couldn’t shake the feeling that he was the only one sensing the urgency. Batman was clearly playing with the Akuma at this point. Ladybug and Red Robin were taking out their frustration at Gabriel with the slingshot. Lastly, Carapace was smirking to himself as his own unchecked grievances with the man were finally getting some kind of second-hand recognition.

He wanted to laugh along and his chest felt light as the bad mood seemed to disappear. He wondered if they were all getting hysterical. “Robin!” He looked up at his father before noticing the journal. The next item wasn’t sucked in like the others. Instead, he swatted it away. This was his opportunity.

Robin let go of slingshot, hearing a distinct smack and Red Robin yelp behind him, and ran towards the Collector. Batman took that opportunity to get serious and incapacitate the Akuma. The Collector’s book flew into the air and Robin drew his sword, slicing through the spine without hesitation. The book’s two halves hit the floor with thuds and the room paused for a moment as Ladybug readied her yo-yo for an Akuma.

Another set of beeping made her gulp as she continued to wait for the butterfly.

2 minutes.

Confusion and a slight panic set in after a few moments and Robin got slammed on his right. “Shelter!” Green surrounded the two as another sketchbook crashed into the force field before returning to the Collector. “I made a trip to Spain and you really thought I’d only bring one sketchbook?”

Ladybug retracted her yo-yo and grit her teeth before grabbing the slingshot from Red Robin. She ran out of the room, deliberately bumping into the Collector and catching his attention before she was out of sight. He took the bait and pulled out another journal. With one in each hand, he growled and ran down the hallway after her.

Batman growled and ran after them, the other three boys hot on his trail. He yelled over his shoulder at Carapace, “What is she thinking?”

Carapace shrugged and suddenly dropped down, “Heads up!” The others quickly fell to the ground, nearly missing a sketchbook before it returned to the Akuma.

Collector grinned, putting more distance between them and Ladybug was his best chance at getting her miraculous. “Where is Cat Noir, Ladybug?”

When Ladybug looked back, the Collector noted how the confidence in her smile contrasted with the uncertainty in her eyes. She thought back to the book on the den’s floor before running onto the deck and towards some railing. She turned around and slowly climbed onto the rail, doing her best to keep her balance and composure while the Collector laughed. “Which journal do you think will get to you first?”

She tensed at the beeping in her ears.

1 minute left.

She forced herself to stand still, doing her best to tune out the waves behind her. She succeeded to keep her voice even, “Tempting, but I’d not rather test my luck.”

He hummed and walked closer, “Ladybug, you cornered yourself. I’m about to finally defeat Paris’ greatest guardian. Humor me.”

46 seconds.

She gulped, she needed him closer. “I could still escape. I’ve done it before.”

“With less than a minute left, I highly doubt that.”

A few more steps and Ladybug squared her shoulders, “Well, what are you waiting for?” She opened her arms and wiggled her fingers, “Let’s see what happens.”

They heard some shouts and footsteps getting closer. She struggled to hang onto her resolve as flashes of the trip’s first Akuma came to mind. The chaos, the panic, and the wind in her hair all bought her back. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes before leaning back.

The Collector ran to the edge of the railing and threw his books off the ship after the heroine. She took a deep breath yelled out, “PEGASUS NOW!”

30 seconds.

Despite being thrown off of bigger heights dozens of times, she was never fully used to the impact. She sat herself up as the two journals hit the floor and she groaned. A cough caught her attention and she quickly turned around to see the captain sitting in his chair with a glass of bourbon. Once the portal disappeared, Staller took a moment to process the entire situation before pouring out his drink in the plant nearby.

A final set of beeping sent Ladybug scrambling behind the nearest object, in her case a love chair, as a bright light engulfed her. She watched as Tikki limply landed on her thigh. Marinette grabbed her purse and rummaged through it, quickly pulling out a cookie and giving it to the Kwami. Marinette sighed before calling out to the captain from behind the couch, “Don’t touch those books! They’ll suck you in!”

She received a slurred response, “Yes, ma’am.” She heard some footsteps coming towards her and she held her breath before hearing a large thump.

The silence that followed gave her a sinking feeling in her stomach. She gulped, “Captain?” She motioned for Tikki to look over the couch. She waited for a reaction with bated breath and the terrified look Tikki gave her made her nauseous. She peered behind the couch and gasped once she saw the body lying lifelessly on the floor. “Captain?” No response, “Oh no, no, no, no.” She ran over and turned his head to feel if he was breathing, a wave of relief washing over her once she confirmed he was alive. She pulled out her phone and started calling Max, “Come on, come on!”

The phone went unnoticed as its owner continued to watch over the monitors, “Come on, come on.”

“MAX!” Pegasus grit his teeth at the sudden screeching in his ear, “Where the hell did she go?!”

“Robin, if you make me go deaf you’ll get my medical bills in the mail.”

“Not like we can’t afford it.”

“Not helping!”

“I’m looking!”

“YOU LOST HER?”

He rolled his eyes and continued flipping through the screens. The portal was a last resort and, if he was honest, none of them were expecting the other notebooks. His portal was supposed to get her back on the boat and separated from the Akuma, but he didn’t think of any specifics. She could be anywhere on the ship and she wasn’t coming up on any of the cameras.

“Pegasus-”

“Find. Her. _Now_.”

“What do you think I’m trying to do!?”

“Pegasus-”

“Max, you should-”

“I’m looking through the monitors!”

“**Max**!” Pegasus looked over to find Markov holding up a vibrating phone, “It’s Marinette.”

“Marinette?”

There was a pause before a stern voice came through the intercom, “What about Marinette?”

Pegasus rolled his eyes and muted his communicator, “Full stop.” He watched Kaalki appear in a flash and sit on top of the computer. Max quickly gave her some of her food before grabbing the phone, “Hello?”

The subsequent screech made him flinch and pull the phone away from his ear, “Max, I need you to send someone up to the Captain’s den!”

Max was making a mental note to make these rich men pay for future hearing aids, “Marinette, what are you-”

“Max, the captain just collapsed and he stinks like alcohol and he’s too heavy for me to move right now. I know you can get a hold of Batman, Robin, or Red Robin. Please, I’m freaking out.”

Max moved back to the monitors and started looking through all the cameras on that floor, “Why can’t I see you?”

“There aren’t any cameras in his private den. Max, please-”

“Okay! Okay, hold on.”

As soon as he unmuted the communicator in his ear, he immediately regretted it. “-uker, answer me.”

“Hey, it seems that the captain got alcohol poisoning. Marinette is freaking out.”

He could hear Red Robin groan, “Not again.”

“Again?”

Robin sighed, “I’ll go up and check on them.” He looked over at Batman tightening the restraints on the Collector. “I’ll be back.”

Carapace’s last warning made him cough awkwardly as he meekly tore himself away from the group, “I have to go too, dudes! Catch you later, ‘kay?” He awkwardly laughed before sprinting down a corner.

The three deadpanned and looked at each other. Red Robin took his earbud out and whispered, careful not to be picked up by the microphones on the intercoms or by the Collector, “We all know that’s Nino, right?” The two nodded and Red Robin rolled his eyes before putting his communicator back in, “Tell Marinette that Robin’s on his way.”

“On it.”

Robin was about to run off before being choked by his own cape. He turned around and found that Red Robin was holding onto his cape, “Do you mind?”

“You’re going the long way.”

“No, I’m not.”

“Yes, you are. Cut through the arcade on this floor and turn right down the hall will lead you to stairs that end up practically next to the den.” He let go and pointed towards the arcade, “Go that way.”

Robin pursed his lips, knowing that he was probably right but still annoyed at the audacity to pull at his cape. “Fine.” Red Robin didn’t even try to hide his smirk as Robin ran off, following his directions and ending up in front of the den within a few minutes. He didn’t bother knocking before he entered and it seemed that Tikki didn’t bother hiding from him.

Marinette was moving the journals further away from the body, careful not to touch the pages. She didn’t even look up, “Robin, he’s not waking up.”

Robin closed the door behind him and moved to get the captain sitting up. He grunted, “Come on, Staller. Work with me here.” Staller’s limp body was a challenge to work with, but Marinette soon came to his aid as they sat him against the couch. Marinette ran to get water while Robin started slapping his cheeks lightly. “Come on, old man. You reek.” If it wasn’t for the slow breathing, he’d think the man finally kicked the bucket.

Marinette placed the bottled water beside him and shook the man, “Captain Staller! Wake up!”

Robin shook his head and walked to one of the nightstands, “This is getting us nowhere.”

“Where are you going?”

Robin started digging through the drawers, nearly pulling one out, before pausing. His face lit up, “Perfect!” He took out a medium-sized first aid kit, “Okay, now we have something to work with. Marinette go get the garbage can, make sure there’s a bag in it.”

Marinette wanted to question it, but she was too worried to indulge her curiosity. She quickly grabbed the wastebasket and pulled it next to Captain Staller. Robin pulled out a small bag, “Cover your nose and stand back.” Marinette did as she was told and Robin opened the bag underneath Staller’s nose.

The next inhale Staller took made him jolt up. He frantically reached for the basket and hurled into it as Marinette moved to rub his back. Robin closed the bag and put it back inside the first aid kit, “Smelling salts. We bought some last time this happened.”

Marinette did her best to ignore Staller’s retching, “Last time?”

“It’s been a few months since he’s drunk himself into a coma.”

“But-” The groaning and subsequent heaving cut her off. Marinette sighed and motioned for the water bottle. Robin handed it over before putting the first aid kit back in the nightstand. “Robin, what do we do now?”

Robin took out his communicator and was careful to mute it. “Well, we have to wait until Ladybug to do her Miraculous Cure for people to feel safe enough to come out of hiding. Then we get a nurse up here to give him an IV drip and to monitor him until the alcohol is out of his system.”

She nodded and looked at Tikki, “You ready?”

“Just say the word.”

She moved away from Captain Staller and straightened up, “Tikki, spots on!” Robin took her place temporarily as she transformed. Ladybug looked at the journals before turning to Robin, “Hey, a little help?”

Robin smirked and pulled out his sword, “I thought you’d never ask.” He looked over the journals carefully, adjusting it as necessary to make sure he doesn’t lose his sword in one of the pages, before slicing through them. A black butterfly emerged from one of the journals and Ladybug immediately took out her yo-yo.

“No more evil-doing for you little Akuma. It’s time to de-evilize!” She caught the butterfly without much effort and reeled the string back in, “Gotcha!” She opened the yo-yo to watch the white Akuma escape through a window. “Okay, now the hard part. Lucky charm!” A red and black ice pack fell into her hands, “Huh?”

Soon a groan came from the man, “My head.” Ladybug rolled her eyes and walked over, gently placing it against his temple. He looked up and pointed at her, speech still slurred, “You fell from the sky.”

“I did.”

“Are you an angel?”

“No, I-”

“Do you know Anne?” She tensed up, unable to answer him, but he didn’t seem to notice. “Her birthday’s coming up, ya’ know?” The reason for his drunken stupor hit Robin and Ladybug like a truck. Robin did his best to keep a straight face.

Ladybug bit her lip after feeling it quiver, “I bet she’s happy you remembered.”

“I’m trying to forget.”

“I know.”

He smiled and pointed at her face, finger drifting up and down from the lack of focus, “You remind me of her.”

She finally cracked a smile, much to his amusement, “Thank you.”

He snorted and shoved the ice pack back into her arms, “I’m okay! I’m-” His sentence was cut off after he hurled into the trashcan and groaned.

She kissed his temple, “You will be in a second.” Robin watched her as Ladybug went behind the bar. He must’ve looked confused because she laughed after making eye contact. She held a finger to her lips and winked before she threw the ice pack into the air, “Miraculous Ladybug!” Ladybug fell to her knees and effectively hid behind the bar as a swarm of ladybugs surrounded them, putting back everything that was out of place and sobering up the captain a bit before flying out the room.

The captain blinked, looking into a now-empty trash can, before standing up and straightening himself out. “What-”

The quick flash of light would’ve gone unnoticed if Robin didn’t know where she was hiding. Marinette popped back up and waved at the Staller, “How are you feeling?”

Staller blinked for a moment, but her smile was unwavering. She walked up to him and tapped his head, “Your head. How’s your head, captain?”

Staller licked his lips and furrowed his brows, “What-”

“You know you really scared me! I found you in here practically unconscious! You just dropped!” She put her hands on her hips and leaned forward, “What were you thinking?” The sight of a petite girl towering over the large captain was amusing to say the least and Robin watched him wither beneath her glare.

Staller sighed, “Sorry you had to see me like that.”

Marinette softened a bit and held out her hand, “It’s okay. So long as you’re feeling better. You really had us worried.”

“Us?” Robin sent a small wave, finally catching Staller’s attention and making him jump. “What the hell-”

Robin’s smile was tight and his voice seemed strained as he addressed the captain, “Hello again.”

Staller, on the other hand, glared at the hero. “You.”

“Ladybug’s powers should’ve fixed up the ship from the Akuma attack-“

“You!”

Marinette asked, “Wait, what’s happening?”

“Last time this bird boy was on my ship, he broke my favorite bottle of whiskey!”

“I apologized promptly afterward!”

“That bottle was given to me by mentor back in ‘72!”

“Why was it on such a faulty shelf then?”

“You little-”

“OKAY! Okay! Easy, down boys. Robin has to go anyways.”

“I do?”

Marinette’s eyes widened and motioned to the journal, “Isn’t there someone you need to check on?” Robin grumbled and picked up the journal, “Thank you.” 

“Yes. Please leave, bird boy.”

“I am not a ‘bird boy’. My name is Robin.”

“I know.”

Robin growled and looked as though he was about the rip the journal in half. Marinette sent him a quick but deadly glare, daring him to step out of line, and Robin bit his lip. Through clenched teeth, he said, “Whatever. You’re both safe. I have to go.” Robin slammed the door behind him as he left and Marinette turned back to Staller.

“What was that about? I thought you’d like Robin.”

Staller scoffed, “I’ve met all the Robins throughout my time as a captain and let me tell you, this one aggravates me.”

Marinette grabbed his arm and pulled Staller to his feet, “I don’t know. He kind of reminds me of Damian.”

“That’s an insult to Damian.”

Marinette did her best to stay neutral, but she wanted to cry laughing. “I guess everyone has their own favorite.”

“He’s yours?”

Marinette hummed, “That’s debatable.”

“Good. The best one was the boy before him. He was just the right amount of enthusiastic and smart. The first one was a bit hyper when he started out and the second one was rowdy.”

Marinette thought about Tim, Dick, and Jason and did her best to imagine them younger. After a moment she nodded, “Yeah, that makes sense.”

Staller straightened out his uniform, “Marinette, I have to really apologize to you. It’s embarrassing for you to find me so-”

“How old will Anne be?” The rest of the apology died as she waited for an answer, “You mentioned her birthday.”

Staller clenched his jaw and gulped before answering, “26.”

“She was young when she got married then!” Staller nodded and Marinette giggled, “I guess if she really found a guy she liked then why not.”

“She married the girl she met in high school. When marriage became legal, they jumped at the chance before anyone could take their rights away from them.” Staller chuckled, “My sister in law thought they were crazy, but my brother and I didn’t hesitate to help pay for it.” He snapped his fingers and quickly rummaged through a nearby liquor cabinet. Marinette watched him take out a false back and something shiny caught her eye before he closed it back up again, “Do you want to see some photos?”

Marinette smiled, “Yes.”

Staller handed her the stack and pointed at the first photo, “Anne’s in the princess looking dress. Sarina was the one in the mermaid style. At least, I think that’s what she called them.”

Marinette smiled, “You can totally tell you’re related to each other. You, your brother, and Anne have the same nose.”

“We got that a lot. The next photo is of the reception.”

While the two bonded over old photos, Robin was making his way back to the main deck and turned on his communicator. “ROBIN I SWEAR TO GOD-”

“Red Robin, calm down. Everything’s fine. Staller had a hissy fit that Robin was in his den again and Marinette was really freaked out, but Ladybug’s cure seemed to work. I found the last journal too. Where are you guys now?”

“Make your way to Bruce’s den. We’re all huddled up here. Plus, you need to hear this.”

Robin frowned, “Gabriel said something?”

Robin could hear laughing in the background before Tim responded, “Oh no, nothing like that. Trust me, okay?”

“Okay.” Robin ran through different scenarios in his head as to what exactly was happening in the den. Was it a joke Jason made? Was Alya making a fuss? Or maybe someone was finally telling Gabriel off. If the last option was true, he hoped it was Jason. Employees and passengers made a path for him as he walked by and soon enough he found himself in front of the doors to the den. Laughter was still heard from inside and he opened the doors.

Alya, Nino, Jason, and Dick were on the floor. Charles seemed to be at the center of all of this. Robin could tell Red Robin was doing his best not to follow along with the rest, but his resolve was quickly deteriorating as he looked at Batman’s face. Gina, Gabriel, and Nathalie seemed intrigued, yet unamused. Lila and Adrien both just seemed very confused as the group’s hysterics. “What’s going on?”

Batman seemed tired as he answered, “Nothing.”

Alya took a deep breath and said, “Batman’s ‘secret’ is out.”

“What?”

Charles shrugged, “I don’t know what the big deal is. Not like either of you are married.” Charles’ eyes suddenly grew wide, “Oh my god, you’re married, aren’t you?” Charles’ jaw dropped, “Oh my god, Bruce is a _mistress_.”

Red Robin finally broke down and fell to the floor alongside everyone else. Robin looked at his father for answers, but Batman pinched the bridge of his nose. “Don’t-”

“I don’t want to know.” He looked over at the idle group and tossed Gabriel’s journal to Nathalie, “I do want to know how you guys are feeling.” Nathalie caught it without much trouble and quickly tucked it away with the rest of her folders and files.

Adrien opened his mouth to answer, but Gabriel cut him off. “We’re fine.”

Gina snapped at him, “Gabriel, calm down. He’s just doing his job.”

Gabriel didn’t falter in his demeanor and Adrien sighed, “Father-”

“Adrien, do you really wish to stay on this boat?” Adrien nodded. Gabriel rubbed his eyes and groaned, “Adrien-”

“Father, I want to deal with this. I can’t just run away from my problems.”

“And if you become an Akuma?”

“Then Ladybug will save me.”

Lila scoffed, “You have too much faith in her.”

Adrien shrugged, “Maybe. Still, she saved my father a few times, she saved me a bunch of times, and she saved you more times than I can count.” Adrien made eye contact with her, never faltering as he continued, “Even if we don’t deserve it, she always helps us.”

Lila pursed her lips and huffed, “She’s going to fail one of these days.”

“We’ll see.”

Lila rolled her eyes before looking Robin up and down, “I’m surprised you’re so calm right now.”

“Why wouldn’t I be? The Akuma’s been taken care of, unless I missed something.”

Lila waved her hand dismissively, “No, no. I’m just surprised. It seems like everyone’s been losing their minds.” She motioned to the pile on the floor, “Example A.”

“Adrien, please reconsider. Lila has a point. It doesn’t seem like-”

Gabriel held up his hand, “Nathalie, you’re speaking out of line.”

“I’m sorry.”

Gabriel walked over to his son and placed a hand on his shoulder, “Call anytime you want to leave. If I hear about anything concerning your health, then I’ll ask you to come home.”

Adrien grinned and hugged Gabriel tightly. By the look on Gabriel’s face, Robin and Batman could tell it’s been a long time since they had this kind of interaction. Gabriel hesitated to reciprocate until he settled on patting his son’s back lightly. Adrien’s eyes suddenly opened and he jumped away, “I’m sorry! Sorry! I didn’t-”

“Have a good time on the ship Adrien.” Adrien blinked, almost in disbelief, before nodding. Gabriel left with Nathalie trailing behind him.

Lila sighed and rubbed her eyes, “I’m out of here. I need a nap.”

“Lila?”

Lila turned back to Adrien, “What?”

“Thank you. I know you’ve been sending updates to my father, now I know why. It’s nice to know that he cares.” Lila thought for a moment before she simply left the room without responding.

Batman stepped over the group of kids regaining their composure and placed a hand on Adrien’s shoulder, “How are you feeling?”

Adrien looked over at Robin for a moment before saying, “I’m still upset, but I’ll be okay soon enough.”

Batman wanted to ask more about the exchange, but Charles chimed in. “So, I need to get back to work...”

“You can go. Everyone seems okay, but if you notice anyone hurt follow your employee protocol.”

Charles looked him up and down and smirked, “Alright, Batman. Whatever you say.” He left the room with a knowing smile and a huge thumbs up from Jason. “See you later, guys. Tell Marinette we need to talk more!”

Gina hummed, “That reminds me, I should get back to Marinette. Where is she?” 

Robin looked over at Alya, “Let Marinette know this woman’s looking for her. You two should meet at the main deck to avoid getting lost on the ship. Charles can show you the way.”

Alya didn’t miss a beat and quickly started typing out the message, “On it.”

Charles took Gina’s arm and waved as they left, “With pleasure. Bye everyone!”

“Bye Charles!” The door shut behind them and a Batman let out a soft huff. “Oh come on, it’s pretty brilliant if you ask me. Gives them a reason to stop asking questions.”

Batman shook his head, “Alya, I know you’re trying to help but know that this isn’t the first time Jason has done this and I told him there’d be repercussions.”

Jason chuckled, “C’mon, old man. I think we all needed a good laugh after these past few days. It wasn’t to embarrass you, it was for _our_ sake this time.” Batman grumbled before smacking the back of Jason’s head. “Hey!”

“Where’s Ladybug?” Robin turned to see Adrien seemingly addressing everyone in the room, “Is she still on the boat?”

“That’s a good question. Robin did you happen to see her at all?”

Robin shook his head, “No, I went straight to Staller and Marinette. Staller got alcohol poisoning again, but it seems the cure helped him a lot. My guess, she probably left either with Marinette’s help or she went into the city.”

Batman narrowed his eyes at the boy. He couldn’t tell if he was lying or not, but something told him that at least part of that explanation was wrong. “We still have to talk to her and Cat Noir.”

Red Robin asked, “Yeah! Where was that stupid cat? He straight up left Ladybug high and dry with Carapace.”

Adrien and Alya perked up, “Carapace was here?”

“Yeah, turtle guy. Seemed cool, a little inexperienced, but his heart was in the right place.” Red Robin didn’t fail to notice Nino’s smile and took great pride in being the cause. Alya nudged Nino and grinned at him, making Red Robin wonder if she knew, before turning to the others around her.

“Hey, where’s Chloe?”

“_Chloe _is gathering information.” Chloe barged in, slamming the door behind her and crossing her arms. “Next time I see Ladybug, I’m demanding my miraculous.”

Dick finally stood up and dusted himself off, “What information?”

“The Akuma came from the girls’ wing of the ship.” There was a beat of silence while Chloe pulled out some recordings on her phone, “As soon as we came back, while Adrien ran off to find Gabriel, I asked a few questions. Staff mainly said it was in that area.”

“That’s a lot to gather in ten minutes.”

“We all came back within proximity of each other. You really think I’m not going to use that?” Chloe huffed and flipped her ponytail, “I want respect and I want answers. I always get what I want. Besides, I’ve actually started to make a bit of an information network among the staff so I either get messages or they tell me things.”

Adrien’s brows shot up and he smiled, “How’d you do that?”

Chloe smirked, “Well, I am Queen Bee. My drones always work in my favor.” Adrien tilted his head and smiled at her, forcing her out of her façade and she sighed, “So I’ve gotten pretty close with the kitchen staff since the sleepover. They kind of knew me as the popcorn girl, word spread, and now most of the staff know me. I told them I was Queen Bee after Marinette told me the pirates on the award night were caused by an Akuma. Now, we have a chat group and they tell me about anything suspicious on the ship.” Chloe crossed her arms and blushed when the group sat in stunned silence, “What?”

Adrien chuckled and pulled her into a hug, “Nothing. You’re awesome.”

Chloe smiled and squeezed him back, “Of course I am.” She pulled away flustered and handed Tim her phone, “Add yourself to the group or whatever you need to, but looking through the messages I’m pretty sure they all saw it come out of the girls’ wing.”

Batman spoke into his earpiece, “Max, did you get all of that?”

“Yeah, Markov and I are going through the footage now. I see the Akuma, but I can’t tell which room it’s in. It seems to be in a blind spot.”

Red Robin nodded, “I can go look over the footage and narrow down the rooms. Along with the staff’s testimonies from the chat, I’m sure we can figure something out.”

Alya threw her fist into the air, “Yes! Things are turning around! If we figure this out quick this last week might end on a good note!” She nudged Dick, “We can finally mess around in that arcade again too. Don’t think I forgot about that DDR machine. Me and Nino will _floor_ you.”

“Oh please, if I have Damian on my team, we’re literally unstoppable.”

“And when did I agree to this?”

“Just now.” Robin rolled his eyes and Nino shrugged, “Hey, this is what it’s like having friends dude.”

“I don’t see the benefit.”

Chloe got her phone back from Tim and smiled, “Oh, you know you love us.” She held out her hand and pulled Jason’s arm, “Come on. Get up. You’re coming with me.”

“And why is that?”

“I got more people who want to talk and I don’t feel comfortable going alone. The staff seems to think you’re the most approachable so we can go together.”

“WHAT?” Dick gasped and put a hand on his chest, “I thought I’d be the most approachable!”

“Probably, but they think Jason’s funnier.” Dick threw his hands up, unable to process the information, while Jason laughed in his face. “Come on, Red.”

Jason nodded and wiped the side of his eye as he followed her out, “Whatever you say, Queenie.”

Alya and finally got up and helped Nino up afterward, “Those two make a dangerous combination.”

Batman rubbed his temple, “Don’t give me a reason not to trust them. Chloe might actually keep him in line.”

Adrien chuckled, “They’ll be fine. Chloe takes her duties as Queen Bee seriously. She just wants to help. Trust me, I’ve known her since we were kids.”

Nino picked up Red Robin and sighed, “Guess we don’t time for the trip anymore.”

Batman hummed, “If you leave now, you guys could still make it around the tourist area near the docks. There still should be a few groups out, meet up with them.” All three teens lit up and Alya grabbed both of the boys’ arms before dragging them out, “Have fun, kids.”

Alya yelled over her shoulder, “Thanks, bats!”

“And then there were four.” Red Robin finally took off his mask and took a deep breath, “No offense, but I really want to keep throwing stuff at Gabriel.”

Dick shrugged, “Just be glad, we’re okay now. How’s Marinette?”

“Knowing Marinette, she’s probably taking Staller with her to go meet her grandmother.” Robin locked the doors to the den before anyone else barged in. “She was a bit shaken up by Staller though. He was practically dead.” A glimmer of light caught his eye and looked over to find a ship in a bottle, “Anne’s birthday is coming up. Let’s do something so he isn’t alone.”

Dick tilted his head and smiled, “Since when were you so involved? Last year, you just kind of hung out with him, now you want to plan something?”

“It was Marinette’s idea, wasn’t it?”

“No, it’s mine.” Damian sat down and his shoulders fell, “I wasn’t joking when I said he was practically dead. Scared me for a second. That man needs to be watched or he’s going to do something stupid.”

Tim hummed before putting his mask back on, “I’m going to talk to Max. Get this figured out. You guys should change and make sure the other passengers are okay.”

“Before you go, I want to run something by you all.” Damian tapped on his earpiece, “You still there Max? Markov?”

“Yup!”

“Always.”

Damian nodded and looked over at Dick, “I know I already ran this by you, but given what Chloe just said I think we have to make it a possibility.”

Batman asked, “What’s a possibility?”

“Lila’s the one causing the Akumas.”

Tim scoffed, “Well, we knew that. The girl just brings down a room.”

“No, no. I mean she’s working for Hawkmoth. Max, pull up some of the screenshots we were looking at and send it to their phones.” In a moment, all notification bells rang out and they began scrolling through the photos. “Look, Lila’s been acting suspicious and given the extra information about the Akumas coming out of the girls’ wing is setting off red flags.”

The three men looked between one another before Dick spoke up, “Look, we know you don’t like her, but that’s a bit extreme.”

“If I can interject?” Damian could practically see Max adjusting his glasses as he looked through the files, “Lila’s been the most Akumatized person in the school. Her goals never involve a third party, they all involve taking down Ladybug in one way or another.”

“I thought you were one of her friends?”

“Nino filled me in and showed me Tim’s power point. I never refute sound data.” Max grumbled and pulled up more videos of fights involving Lila’s various Akuma’s. “Going through the LadyBlog and through different news sources, she fights dirty. She really messes with Ladybug and seems to take great pleasure in it. She has a grudge against her, but I don’t know why.”

“Chloe says she knows why.”

“Jesus, Jason! I forgot you were still on the intercom!”

“Calm, down.” There was a shrill voice in the background and Jason said, “Also Chloe said ‘How dare you leave me out of this!’”

Batman rolled his eyes, “So what did Chloe say?”

There was a bit of shuffling before Chloe’s voice was heard loud and clear, “One, I’m helping in this investigation. I want in on the conversations and a communicator. Two, Lila hates Ladybug because she called Lila out for one of her lies in front of Adrien when she first came to Paris. Adrien told me that a few weeks ago and given her Akuma track record, she really hates Ladybug.”

“Okay, now that I believe.” Damian threw his hands up and Dick shrugged, “Look, you’re a biased party. We all know you hate her.”

“We all hate her, plus I had evidence.”

“_Circumstantial_ evidence. Now we have a motive.”

“I can have some of the staff stake out her room.”

“No, no. Don’t. If she really is part of this, I don’t want her catching on that we know. The staff taking a sudden interest in her room and in her might tip her off.”

“And I doubt the teachers will get involved, they seem like the type who are in denial about this stuff.”

Tim crossed his arms and asked, “Then how do you want to go about this?”

Batman sighed and looked over at Dick, “Tell Alya to call Ladybug and Cat Noir over from the LadyBlog. If Lila is holding that much of a grudge against Ladybug, the Ladybug and Cat Noir are bound to know a thing or two about her. They’ll have insight on how best to approach her.”

Jason came back onto the communication line and whined, “Hey, you know we can literally just barge into her room right now? It’s our ship.”

Damian rolled his eyes, “And set off an emotionally unstable teenager with possible superpowers that may or may not control people?”

“Fair enough.”

Tim nodded, “We have to be smart about this so she doesn’t endanger the ship.” 

“Then why not evacuate the ship?”

Dick shook his head, “No, no, that’d ether cause a panic, a media storm, or both. We need to catch her off guard so she doesn’t run off or hide anything.”

Jason hummed, “SWAT team approach?”

A unified and stern “NO!” echoed through the intercom and Jason groaned, “Fine. Fine. I get it.”

Damian sighed and slumped over in the chair, “Jason, work with us here.” 

There was a short pause before Jason coolly responded, “Yeah. Okay. We’ll keep asking around and do some crowd control. We’ll talk to you later.”

“Thank you.” Damian rubbed his eyes before noticing the other three in the room staring at him, “What?”

Tim snickered, “That was the calmest exchange between you two I’ve ever seen.”

“You’re looking too deep into it.”

Tim adjusted his mask, “He just said ‘Yeah, okay” and left it there?”

Dick narrowed his eyes before accusing him, “You two _bonded, _didn’t you?”

“The hell are you talking about?”

Dick looked at Batman and egged him on, “See! That’s weird! Tell me that was weird.”

“You’re all insane.”

Batman’s expression softened a small bit before squared his shoulders, “Put your masks back on and change out of your suits. I’ll be more involved now that most of the shareholders are leaving at the next stop. We’re not going to rule out any other suspect, but Lila is now our prime one. Work with it. I want to avoid another Akuma.” The three brothers nodded, adjusted their masks, and got up to leave. However, Batman put a hand on Robin’s shoulder, “Let’s talk.”

Dick and Red Robin looked at the youngest and, with an assuring nod, the two left and closed the door behind them. Batman fumbled with the earpiece before taking it out and putting it on the table. Robin did the same. “Yes?”

“Sit, we haven’t gotten the chance to talk this whole trip and you seem different.” 

“Isn’t that what you wanted?”

“I’m not saying that’s a bad thing. It’s good. Clark messaged me earlier this week about being woken up by Jon frantically talking about ‘Damian’s girlfriend’. I have to admit I was skeptical.”

“The world is two dumb comments away from losing its Super Boy.”

Batman sat down and Robin took the seat across from him. Robin couldn’t help but look at the decorations, “Tell me about it.”

“Since when were you so interested in classroom gossip?”

“When it involved my son.”

Robin frowned and looked away, “I don’t really know what you want me to say.”

“Here’s what I know. You and Marinette hit it off well. You and Marinette got together. You and Marinette fought. Now, you and Marinette are not talking. Adrien’s mixed up in all of this, but I’m not sure how yet.”

“Congratulations, you figured it all out.”

“Damian-”

“Father, understand that what we argued about is between us and Adrien. I’m not going to get you or any of the others involved if it isn’t necessary.”

Batman hummed and leaned forward, “Alright. So what’s your next move?” Robin’s eye twitched and he crossed his arms, “No plan?”

“I’ve never been in this situation before.”

“That never stopped you before. You’d usually take a direct approach.”

“I can’t do that with her.”

“Why not?”

“Because she’s-” He stopped himself and bit his inner cheek, “What exactly are you trying to do here?”

“Nothing. I’m just trying to get an understanding of your feelings towards her.”

He clenched his fists as he struggled to keep his voice even, “She’s important to me.”

“You like her.”

“So what?”

“Damian-”

“I know what you’re going to say and save it. Raven gave us the same lecture.”

His father nodded, “So you’re going to leave her.”

Damian snapped back, “I did not say that.”

“Then what?” He watched his son squirm and grumble, “Damian-”

“I said ‘I don’t know’. She knows what she’s getting into.”

“And you’re going to let her take that risk?”

He scoffed, “I’m not letting her step foot in Gotham if that’s what it takes.”

“You’re really going to rope her into this?”

“I’m not just going to let her go! I-”

“You what, Damian?”

There was a short pause before he took off his mask and looked his father in the eye, “I want to continue being Robin.”

Batman wasn’t expecting that and he finally took off his own mask. The two sat across from each other, face to face for the first time in weeks, and looked at each other. “I didn’t realize you were going to give it up. That’s not like you.”

“I haven’t been like me in a long time. I wanted out. I wanted to leave and go to the mountains again.”

“What changed?” Damian sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, “She really did that much? In two weeks?”

“I can’t explain it. She wasn’t even phased. She sees me as a good person and I want to be one. If not for myself then for her. I want to be strong enough to help Ladybug and Cat Noir so she doesn’t have to deal with it. I want her to feel safe around me.”

Bruce hung onto every word, “This isn’t just some crush, is it?”

Damian shook his head and buried his face in his hands, “No.”

“You love her?”

Damian gulped before finally nodding, “Most likely.”

Bruce could feel a migraine coming on. He frowned before tossing over his communicator and motioning towards the door, “Get changed. Go tell Marinette that you want to do something for Staller. She’ll want to help and talk to you. Trust me.” Damian nodded, placed the mask back over his face, and headed off. Bruce sighed and put his back into his ear, “How much of that did you hear?” 

There was a short pause before someone responded, “That was dirty, Bruce.” A small click was all he heard before he was left with nothing but static and the humming of the ship’s motors.


	18. Ahead

Adrien couldn’t help but wonder what he was supposed to do next. When Marinette and Damian came to him for help with Anne’s memorial, he was surprised. The most conversations they had were right before his father got akumatized and even then they ignored the elephant in the room. He was conflicted. He wanted it addressed, but he also wanted to follow along and forget about it. He wanted to stay mad for a bit longer, but he also wanted things to go back to normal. He wished he wasn’t so indecisive.

It was by far one of his worst traits. He guessed he was a bit like his lady that way, an all or nothing type. When he had his heart set on something, he’d put everything he had into obtaining it. The best example was his love for being Cat Noir. He can’t imagine ever letting it go and works hard to be the best superhero he can be. Similarly, when he was still actively chasing after Ladybug, his attempts were over the top romantic and he never hid his feelings. On the other hand, he remembers moments involving his indecisiveness. Almost all of them involved the women in his life.

This was no exception. He thought he was over Ladybug, he wasn’t. He thought all those old feelings died long ago, they didn’t. He thought he could shove them down when he saw Ladybug enjoying being Ladybug again during the Charger event. His heart skipped a beat for a moment, but he chalked it up to the adrenaline. His heart yearned for the past when he would watch Damian and Marinette stand by the railings and talk, he wondered if he was feeling nostalgia for their rooftop rendezvous.

Adrien has always found another reason for his feelings. Even if he did acknowledge them, nothing would happen. He was actively assisting Marinette in her new relationship and he was fine with that. It’s not like he wasn’t in this position before. Whenever Ladybug rejected him, he was okay with that as long as she was still by his side.

Adrien looked over to the couple and noticed the distance the kept. Despite their tension, their eyes held so much tenderness. He didn’t know how to feel about it. Deep down he wanted her to be happy, but he part of him also wanted to see them break up completely. He wanted to give Damian advice, but he also wanted Damian to leave the ship altogether. The conflict between his heart and his head made him anxious, but he pushed through it for Staller.

He knew how hard anniversaries were and if he could help he wanted to. He thought back to his mother’s memorials. Chloe still expressed extreme disgust at Felix for his dumb prank, but he would still come by with his mother to spend time with him. If he didn’t, Chloe, Nino, and some of his other friends made it a point to. He never had to be alone so he didn’t want Staller to be alone if he could help it.

Chloe snapped a few times to get his attention, “Hello? Earth to Adrien?”

Adrien pushed her hand away, “I’m here.”

“You know you can’t lie to me. You were thinking about something.” She held the closet door open and shrugged, “Want to talk about it?”

Adrien rearranged some of the cleaning supplies in his arms and shrugged, “Chloe, shouldn’t we get these back up to the den?”

Chloe rolled her eyes, “We’re almost done cleaning up anyway. Besides, if I don’t get a break I’m considering this child labor.” Chloe relaxed a bit hearing Adrien chuckle, “Hey, Kim and Alix are having their water balloon fight in a bit. If we head there now, we could make it.”

“You hate getting your hair wet.”

“But, I love seeing you happy and right now your sulking is bringing down my mood.” Chloe smirked and nudged his arm, “C’mon. I can message the group. Maybe they’ll join us? We’ve done enough today.” Adrien thought about it for a moment before finally nodding. Chloe cheered and shoved all the cleaning supplies back into the closet, “Perfect! I can finally show off my new bathing suit!”

Adrien gently placed his items back in the closet and closed the door, “You need to go get it?”

“What? No. I’m wearing it underneath my clothes, duh. You’re a boy, you should be fine. Now _come on_!” She pulled his arm and grinned, “Let’s actually have fun on our vacation, okay?”

Adrien bit his lip to subdue his own grin. He loved seeing this side of Chloe. Underneath the haughtiness, there was this girl. Excited and ready for anything. He was remembered a time when they were little when there was a circus on its way to Paris. She begged him to go with her the same way she was begging him now. He remembered that day fondly. “Okay.”

“Okay.” He was used to being pulled around by this girl, but he liked it. He was comfortable in her grasp and let himself be whisked away by one of his best friends. He waved to the people he passed and laughed at their conversation, but a part of his mind still wandered. Something shiny caught his eye from her pocket and he noticed Pollen’s antenna before the kwami fled further down. His lips pressed into a thin line as he thought back to his conversation with Fu.

When he called Master Fu to the ship, he wasn’t thinking straight. Still, he’s glad he was able to make contact. Despite Marinette getting to him first, when they met later that afternoon Fu still offered an ear.

“I’m sorry I called you out here.”

Fu seemed glad to him despite his attitude, “You look upset.”

“I am upset. I’m upset with Ladybug and some others.”

“Is that why you called me here?”

“No.” Adrien looked out onto the docks and noticed both Marinette and Jason saying bye to her grandmother. Gina gave both a long and loving hug. It was completely different from the one he got from his father, “Master Fu, I want you to leave the other miraculous here with us.”

Fu hummed, “That’s a dangerous request.”

“It’s a dangerous situation. I think Ladybug is letting her feelings get the better of her.” Fu quirked his brow and motioned him to continue, “She hasn’t been herself for a while. When we fought the Charger, I saw the Ladybug I fell in love with the first time. The _real_ Ladybug. Now, she’s different.” He tightly gripped the railing and huffed, “She fell in love-”

“I’m sorry-”

“-with Robin.”

Fu paused before reeling back a bit, “Wait. What? Who-”

“Another hero. American hero. No miraculous.”

Fu blinked and stood for a moment as he processed the information. “When I talked to her, she spoke of the Akumas.”

“Then she told you that Hawkmoth might be on the boat.” Fu nodded and he sighed, “These heroes are not miraculous holders. They don’t have powers. They’re normal people. I don’t know what she’s thinking. If she thinks we’re going against Hawkmoth, we don’t need the team back together, not some guys in costumes.” Adrien sighed and ran his fingers in his hair.

Fu looked over the boy and frowned, “Why do I get the feeling that the situation is more complex than either of you are letting on?”

Adrien crouched down and looked the old man in the eye, “Leave the turtle, the fox, and the bee. If Chloe is the bee then the other two are bound to be classmates of ours. I’m not that dense.”

Fu sighed and waved his hand, “Walk with me.” Adrien nodded and the two began walking further into the ship. Adrien put a smile on his face and waved at the people who passed them. The kids from his class knowing nothing of the turmoil happening around them as they continued about their vacation. Adrien leaned over and asked, “What are you thinking?”

“I’m wondering if I should ask Ladybug to evacuate the ship altogether.”

“Don’t do that.” Fu hummed and Adrien continued to press, “Please. Before the Akumas, this was the best trip ever. Even with the Akumas, it was great!”

“Then what changed Adrien, because you don’t seem to be having fun.”

Adrien bit his lip, “Ladybug did. I’m mad at her and a friend.”

Fu hummed, “Tell me honestly. Are you jealous?”

Adrien thought about his answer for a moment and decided to be frank. “Yes.”

Fu’s expression didn’t change. Still, he pushed him to continue. “Go on.” Adrien bit his lip and Fu continued, “What do you want to say to her?”

Adrien looked around before pulling Fu into the nearest arcade. He peered his head around the corner and noticed a few of his friends engrossed in their games. The lull of the different machines’ sounds and music ensured their privacy despite their openness. Adrien took a deep breath and shrugged, “I don’t know. People keep asking me that as if me saying something will make it all better but I don’t know.” Adrien groaned, “Fu, I thought I would be okay. I _was _okay. But after-”

“After?”

Adrien could feel Plagg vibrating in his pocket. He knows the rules, but that just makes him angrier at Marinette. She knew the rules. She enforced the rules more than anyone. Then, she broke it. Worst of all, she broke it with someone other than him. Still, was he so mad that he’d out them so recklessly? No. He still had to keep his head. “She said something about wanting to tell this guy after I’ve asked to know for years. I just feel betrayed after sticking by her for all these years. If anyone should know, should we know each other’s?”

“It’s dangerous to let anyone know. Chloe’s been targeted due to her lack of a secret identity. No one can know. Ladybug should know that better than anyone.”

Adrien’s eye twitched, “I know.”

Fu nodded and gently squeezed the boy’s shoulder, “You’re entitled to your feelings, Adrien.”

“Why does everyone say that?”

“Because you are someone who will push those feelings down or away to make the situation easier on everyone else.” Fu rummaged through his bag and pulled out two small black boxes, “If I leave these with their holders, will that put you at ease?”

Adrien nodded, “Yes. I want to trust Ladybug’s judgment and I have no doubt these new heroes will be useful in getting more information on Hawkmoth, but when it comes to fighting I can’t just let them get hurt. These Akumas have only gotten harder to deal with. We need help without causing anyone serious harm. I don’t want these guys to fight with us.”

“You said they’re heroes. Are they not competent?”

“No, no. Nothing like that.” Adrien chuckled, “They’re veterans compared to us.”

“So why hesitate?”

“As I said before, they’re normal. We might not have the same training or experience but at least my suit can withstand a Cataclysm. They’d – No, I don’t even want to think about it.” Adrien rubbed his temples and sighed, “They’re good people. I trust them, but unless they suddenly get miraculous too then I don’t want them around the fight.”

Fu nodded and put the boxes back in his bag, “I’ll let Ladybug know that Carapace can keep the turtle miraculous a bit longer. Once I figure out where Rena Rouge and Queen Bee are, then I’ll make sure they can get theirs.”

Adrien was pleasantly surprised, “You’re going to listen to me?”

“Of course. You’re Cat Noir. Your word means a lot to me.” Fu wasn’t expecting the hug Adrien gave him but reciprocated nonetheless. “Be careful and look out for each other. Even if you’re mad at her-”

“We’re still partners. I know.” Adrien pulled away and nodded, “Thank you.”

“Adrien, if you believe these heroes can help you gather information, then I’d suggest speaking with them sooner rather than later. If anything suspicious happens, Ladybug and Cat Noir may be necessary for drawing Hawkmoth or his Akuma’s out. We don’t want too many civilians caught in the crossfire.”

An incoming water balloon brought him back to the present and he ducked. “Hey!”

“Don’t ‘hey’ me! You in or not? We’re doing teams. I’m assuming you and Chloe are a team, right?”

Chloe grabbed his hand and looked at Alix dumbly, “What do you think?”

“I’m just asking! We got a few rules. If you get hit, you get in the pool. If either of you makes it to the end, your team wins. No guarding any of the buckets. If you stay in one place for more than ten seconds, you’re out. If you leave the deck, you’re out. There are a few younger kids, so try not to throw too hard, otherwise, have fun. Got it?” Adrien and Chloe both nodded and Alix grinned, “Let’s see how the Paris’ golden kids fair against the rest of us. I bet you won’t last 4 minutes.”

“Excuse you! I am Queen Bee and Adrien is a champion fencer.”

“So?”

Chloe crossed her arms and smirked, “Our reflexes are incredible and we’ll kick all of your butts.”

Alix shrugged with a smirk on her face, “We’ll see.”

“Yes, we will.” Chloe huffed and turned her nose to the air, “Let’s go Adrien.”

Adrien snickered, “You’re fired up.”

“Of course I am. I’m not letting that tomboy talk down to me like that!” Chloe pulled her shirt over her head and folded it under her arm. She led Adrien to an empty lounge chair and unbuttoned her pants, “Well? What are you waiting for?”

Adrien shook his head, “Right. Right. Sorry.” Chloe was thankful for Adrien’s shirt getting caught on his pants for a moment. If it meant she got to ogle at him for another second or two, then she was grateful. For a moment, she thought she saw something black flash by under his shirt, but when he turned his attention back to her she turned away. “Ready?”

“Always. Let’s win this already. I want to rub it into Kubdel’s face.”

“Hey, is it too late for us to join in?” The pair turned to see Alya and Nino run over. Nino nearly tripped over himself as he struggled to take off his shirt while Alya simply unbuttoned her to reveal her two-piece bathing suit underneath. “Oh my god, we made it!”

“I’m surprised that you’re here alone.”

“Oh, we’re not.” She pointed at the balcony overlooking the deck and they turned to see Dick, Jason, and Tim waving at them. Alya waved back and gave a quick thumbs-up, before turning back and placing her bag next to the rest of their items. “I told them they were benched. Probably wouldn’t be fair to have seasoned superheroes team up against some kids.” 

“That’s fair.” With the sound of the starting whistle, people paired up and stood in a large circle around the pool’s perimeter. Adrien looked around and noticed that his classmates weren’t the only people involved. Some passengers and their kids were involved. He recognized a few staff members as well. He had to hand it to his friends, people young and old were all taking part in this. He looked over at his friends and noticed Alya wearing a distinct necklace. Looking a bit closer, he realized how familiar Nino’s new bracelet was too.

He should’ve seen it coming, but a bit of shock still set in as he realized just how many of his friends were involved with the miraculous. Bruce’s voice echoed in his head and Adrien finally saw how irresponsible this all was, but he couldn’t ponder over this anymore. The starting whistle had sounded and people scurried away as they ran for cover, shields, and ammunition. Chloe tossed a few balloons to Adrien before ducking out of the way.

“Adrien, 3 o’clock!” Adrien didn’t hesitate to throw the balloon and hit one of the staff members directly on their chest. A referee from the sidelines blew a whistle and signaled her to get in the pool. His heart started pumping when Chloe ran to his side and pulled him away. “Get your head in the game, Adrikins!”

He couldn’t even respond. Instincts kicked in without him realizing it and he pulled Chloe close and out of the crossfire. He chucked another balloon in the same direction and managed to hit an older woman in the face. Another whistle sounded and Adrien’s eyes grew wide, “OH MY- I’M SO SOR-“

“Duck!” Chloe pushed his head down and threw her balloon in retaliation. “We need more balloons!” He looked up and noticed the woman laughing as she jumped in the pool. As long as he didn’t go all out, there were no hard feelings and no consequences. Whistles sounded left and right as they made a beeline for another bucket. He noticed Ivan and Mylene making their way to the same bucket to reload. “Adrien?”

“You flank left. I’ll go down the center and be the distraction.” Chloe nodded and left his side for the first time today. Seeing her ready for anything and running with purpose made him feel giddy. “Hey, guys!” Ivan and Mylene turned and got into a defensive stance in front of the bucket.

Mylene handed Ivan their last two balloons, “Sorry, Adrien!”

Adrien could feel some of his feline charm peeking through as he sauntered up to them, “No need to apologize. I haven’t lost yet!” Ivan shrugged and aimed, “Come on! Give me your best shot!” Ivan grunted as he tossed one balloon, but he missed by a mile, “Oh, so close!” Ivan stuck out his tongue as he concentrated on his next shot, but missed by a hair. “Oh, last shot! Sorry, guys!”

Mylene turned around just in time to see Chloe hit both of them. More whistles sounded as they gracefully accepted their loss with a giggle and a high five. Chloe grabbed a few more balloons and looked around, “Looks like half of the competition is out. You think we can make it?”

“I know we can. Hand me some balloons.” Chloe tossed him a few before leaving the reloading station, “You want to take an offensive approach?”

“I’m Queen Bee. Offense is my only approach.”

“Good. Let’s stick with what we know. I take center, you flank, and we weed out the rest until we win.” Chloe nodded and dodged another incoming balloon.

“Let’s take out the family at 7 over there first.”

“Good call.” He could hear Chloe laugh the same way she used to when they were little. He’s only ever heard it a few times since starting high school with her, but each time was a treat. It brought him back to when they were kids running around the hotel, pranking staff members, and causing mayhem. “Sorry about this! Nothing personal!” Throwing water balloons at the younger members while Chloe took the parents out from behind gave him a similar rush. The victims’ faces never changed. Surprise, confused, then amused. The whistles only continued to encourage their chaos in the best way.

Chloe was feeling the same way as nostalgia overcame her. Maybe it was the rush of it all, or maybe it was teaming up with Adrien for the first time in a long time, but she felt ecstatic. They fell into their old roles so naturally, she nearly forgot everything else on the trip. If she was honest, she didn’t care. Taking out another team didn’t take as much communication anymore and soon they didn’t need any at all. She wondered if this is how Ladybug and Cat Noir felt, or maybe they were better. “9 o’clock!”

Adrien hit the deck and watched as a balloon flew overhead and he counterattacked. He looked over and saw that it hit Alya and she pouted as the whistle blew. “Wait, where’s Nino?”

“Adrien!” He was suddenly knocked down and heard a splash overhead. He looked up and saw Chloe growling as the referee blew their whistle. “Damn.”

Adrien frowned, “Chloe, I’m-”

“Just win this thing.” She held out her fist and he bumped it without hesitation. A promise. Chloe ran over and jumped into the pool alongside Alya. Adrien looked around and saw Nino, Kim, and Alix as the only few left in the game. He noticed two boys out of the pool too, but figured they were walking towards it. He ran to a bucket to reload and mumbled to himself, “Okay, you can do this. You’re Cat Noir.”

He threw a balloon at Kim and, by the grace of God, he landed a hit. The whistle blew and he could hear Chloe cheering him on from the pool. Alix took Nino out without issue and then there were two. Alix looked over at her competition and shrugged, “I didn’t think you’d make it this far!” She jiggled the balloon in her hand and chuckled, “How about it, Adrien? You think you can win this?”

“I don’t know, Alix. I hope so.”

“Cute answer.” Alix charged at the young model and threw her balloon with all her might. Adrien dodged the balloon and chucked his own. Alix was nimble enough to jump out of the way. Another balloon, another escape, and another balloon wasted until both were out of ammunition. They left each other panting and looked towards the nearest bucket. “Race you there?”

“You’re on.”

“Three.” Alix walked over to Adrien’s side and leaned forward.

“Two.” Adrien’s body was ready to pounce and he could feel his hairs stand on end.

“On-” Before they could take off, both suddenly found themselves wet. Adrien and Alix blinked and slowly turned to see two boys grinning.

“Did we just-” The sound of the whistle was the signal of their petty defeat.

Meanwhile, the two boys started cheering, “WE WON! WE WON!” The bigger boy high fived the smaller one and ran victory circles around the two teenagers.

Alix finally snapped out of it and laughed, “Where the heck were you guys?”

“We’ve been outside the pool the whole time! We’re surprised you didn’t notice us.” The smaller one yelped when Alix grabbed his arm and held it up high.

“We got a winning team here!” She turned to the kids and asked, “What are your names again?”

“His name’s Jacob. I’m David.”

“LET’S HEAR IT FOR DAVID AND JACOB!” Adrien looked up to see a mom cheering wildly from the same balcony his other friends were watching them from. He noticed that she was another staff member and was okay with losing to see their mom so happy. He was practically panting as he started coming down from his adrenaline high but still flinched as Chloe rushed over to him.

“Sorry, Chloe-”

“Adrien, that was incredible!” She wrapped her arms around him and laughed, “Did you see how far we got? We were nearly unstoppable!” She pulled away and threw her fist into the air, “Most importantly we didn’t lose to Kubdel! Yes!” Adrien watched her flail around as she patted herself and Adrien on the back. Her ponytail was a mess and her makeup ran a bit, but she looked real. Not like some perfect heiress, but as someone he could see himself hanging around more. Getting closer to. He reached out and moved some hair out of her face and grinned when she froze in place. “Adrien?”

“We’ll get them next time, okay?”

Chloe seemed hopeful, “You promise?”

“Promise.” She leaned into the palm of his hand and smiled in a way only reserved for himself and her teddy bear. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed something blue run by out of the corner of his eye. He looked through the crowd and noticed Marinette tailing another staff member. He could tell she was trying to be sneaky and it made him nervous.

“Adrien?”

He looked back at Chloe and frowned, “We’ll pick this up later. I have to go check on something.”

“Oh, can I come-”

“It’s okay! Just make sure Alix knows she doesn’t have any bragging rights.” He hated how disappointed she looked, but he still tore himself away and ran to grab his clothes from the lounge chair. Adrien quickly pulled his shirt over his head and ran up to Marinette. He knew she was the type to scream when startled, so he put his hand over her mouth and pulled her close. It was a good call. “Hey, hey, it’s me.”

She pushed his hand away and yelled at him in a hushed tone, “Adrien, what are you doing?”

“I should be asking you the same question.” He peered over his shoulder and quirked his brow once he recognized the staff member, “Why are we following Charles?”

“Because you remember the night of that fancy dinner where we were gathering information on all the A name people? Well, he’s been seen talking to one of the suspects extensively since this trip started.”

Adrien looked over his shoulder and noticed his turn a corner. “Come on.” The two scurried over and stuck their head around the corner, “Isn’t Charles one of our friends?”

“I don’t want to think he’s working against us, but he’s been around many of the ship’s Akuma attacks.”

Adrien sighed and grabbed her hand, “C’mon. Let’s go.”

“Right.”

The two continued following him through the halls and watched him talk to different staff and guests. He was heading towards the back of the ship and far away from his classmates and the other guests. Adrien could feel himself getting bored, but she looked so determined. He knew that face too well. She was onto something, or at least she thought she was. Before he knew it he asked, “Where’s Damian? Shouldn’t he be helping you with this?”

Marinette squeaked and pulled away from him. Her stutter became more apparent and her nervous ticks came back with a vengeance. “What- What are you talking about? We just came from talking with Staller and he left to go talk to Bruce about something and I came over here to see the water balloon fight when Max messaged me about Charles and-”

“Marinette, calm down. I didn’t mean anything by it. It’s just that detective work is kind of his thing. Just seemed like he’d be someone you’d want on this kind of thing.” He wondered if it was exercise the water balloon battle royal provided, but he wasn’t nervous. He didn’t feel awkward or tense. He was just winding down from the fight. “Oh my god, that’s it.”

“What’s it?”

Adrien shook his head, “Nothing. Just – I’ll tell you later, okay? He’s turning a corner.” She wanted to press further, but she didn’t want to lose Charles either. He bit his lip and wanted to smack himself for not thinking of it sooner. They needed to spar. It was how they made up last time, what was keeping them from using it now? He wanted to laugh, but that would blow their cover. “Is he heading to his room? This is a residential part of the ship.”

“Maybe.” She watched him unlock a door and head inside, “Probably.” She straightened herself out fixed her clothes, “Okay, time to go in.”

“Go in?”

“Charles likes me so maybe he’ll let us see his room?” She shrugged and he realized she was making this up as they went along. He rolled his eyes and motioned for her to lead the way. She took a deep breath and began stiffly walking up to the door. She was almost robotic when knocking on the door and Charles seemed surprised to see her there. Her voice cracked, “Hey Charles, fancy seeing you here.”

“This is my room?” He carefully closed the door behind him and looked nervous. “What are _you_ doing here?”

“I noticed you over here and I haven’t seen you since before Tess’ Akuma so I wanted to check up on you.” He seemed to almost flinch when she mentioned Tess, but if Marinette caught it she didn’t show it.

“Marinette right now is not a good time-”

“Is everything okay?”

“I’m trying to get my room ready for _company_.”

“Why’d you say it like that?”

“Say what?”

“Company. You said it like this; ‘_company_’.”

“C’mon, you kids are what? 16? You know what I’m talking about.” The blank stares and head tilt he got told Charles that they, in fact, did not understand the connotation. “Oh, Christ – Okay, you know about Bruce and Batman, right?”

Marinette stiffed up immediately and looked ready to bolt, but Adrien placed a hand on her shoulder and shook his head. “Is this about what Jason said in the room about Bruce being Batman’s mistress or something?”

“WHAT?” Both Adrien and Charles jumped at the chance to put their hands over her mouth and shush her. Pink came up from her neck to her cheeks as she processed what she just heard. Adrien could her muffled ramblings as she fired off what he assumed to be questions and reprimands. Finally, she pushed their hands away, “What on earth are you talking about?”

Adrien didn’t know why the others were running with this lie, but he figured it was important so he nudged Marinette, “C’mon Marinette. It’s out in the open that Batman and Bruce are _seeing each other_.” 

The utter absurdity made her want to pull her pigtails out, “Where did you get that idea?”

Both were prompt in their response, “Jason.”

“Jason? Oh, what am I saying? Of course, it was Jason. It’s always Jason.” She smacked her forehead and groaned, “Dang it, Jason!”

“Yeah, the secret’s out. Oh wow, Charles knows something! Big whoop. I still need you guys to get out of here.”

“But-”

“Hey, Marinette – Oh.” The three all recognized the accent immediately and turned to see Tess in the hallway. She seemed to glare at Charles and he simply looked away.

He shook his head and grumbled, “I don’t have to put up with this. Look, I’m going to go get something from the infirmary real quick and when I get back _please be gone_.”

“But-”

Charles knelt down to look her in the eyes. She noticed they were desperate. “Marinette, sweetie, I’ll talk to you later. Right now I’m really tense and just need this evening to clear something up, okay?”

“Okay?”

He pet her hair and kissed the top of her head, “Awesome!” He kept rambling as he started jogging down the hallway, “Amazing! Great! Now _go_!”

Adrien sent him a big thumbs up as he leaned over to Marinette, “He’s definitely hiding something.” When he didn’t get a response he turned to see her rubbing the spot he kissed with an expression he couldn’t quite figure out. “Hey, earth to Marinette. You okay?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah. Fine.” He knew she wasn’t but before he could press further she turned her attention back to Tess. “Hey, what was that about?”

“You don’t want to know. More importantly, what are you two doing in the staff’s residential wing?”

Marinette was still rubbing at the spot Charles kissed and she began stuttering. She was thrown off her game, but with a kiss? From a friend? He was going to ask about it, but first the room. Much to Marinette’s delight, Adrien mercifully took the lead with a bit of Cat Noir’ smooth talking to get through. “We needed something from Charles, but he started rambling about someone coming over and now we’re stuck in a hallway.” He sauntered up to her and smiled sweetly, “I don’t suppose you could help us out? He seems to be out of it and we really need it back.”

As Cat Noir, this always seemed to work when getting civilians to do something. Now, he had proof it worked outside the suit. She pulled out a keycard and looked around the hallway, “Only because I know you. Get your thing, get in and get out. The door will lock automatically. I have to run back, but please don’t make me regret this.”

Marinette smirked and patted her partner on the back before addressing her friend, “Thanks, Tess. I promise we’ll be quick.” Tess looked at her watch again and groaned. Marinette smiled, “Promise, Tess. Go.”

Tess nodded and took off, calling out to the two from her over her shoulder. “Hurry up!”

Marinette nodded and waved as she opened the door. The room was humble in size and materials, but considering her room was the VIP suite she assumed this was just standard. If she had anything to complain about, it was the lighting. The room was dim, but she figured it was due to the lack of natural lighting. “Come on. Let’s look for anything suspicious. Anything Miraculous, Akuma, or Hawkmoth related we take okay? Just a quick sweep.”

“Got it.” Adrien immediately went to the wardrobe as Marinette checked the drawers in the bedside table. He rummaged through some clothes, careful not to disturb them too much as he checked around before going to the desk. “I’m not seeing anything, you?” Going through the drawer a bit more he saw a buried picture of Tess. He mumbled to himself, “What?”

“No. Hold on, let me check under the-” A knock on the door stopped them both dead in their tracks. Marinette held her finger to her lips as she quietly made her way to the door. She looked through the peephole and scrunched up her nose.

Adrien kept his voice low, “Who is it?”

“It’s one of the suspects, Michael Aaron.”

“The one with the wife?”

She nodded and tensed, “I think Charles is coming back.”

“What?”

“He’s looking down the hall, it has to be him.”

“Where do we-”

Marinette jumped back, “Under the bed! Under the bed!” The two quickly scrambled and made sure they were completely hidden before the knob started jiggling.

Plagg took the opportunity to fly out of his pocket and snicker, “Great, now how are you gonna get out of this one?”

“Plagg!” The door opened and Plagg flew closer to the kids.

He whispered in their ears, “I’m going to look around the room for another exit.”

This prompted Tikki to finally come out, “Oh, no. You are far too reckless!”

“Oh yeah. I’m _sure_ they won’t recognize **a giant ladybug flying in the room**.” A glare from both teens shut them up as they tried to listen to the conversation. Without warning, Plagg flew away and out from their hiding spot.

“-ael, look this is the last time. What if someone saw you?”

“No one saw me, Charles.”

“But someone might!” They heard a huff, “Michael, I mean it. This is the last time. The. Last. Time.”

“I’m leaving in two days, one more time is all I need.”

Plagg flew back underneath the bed, “Okay, so the window doesn’t open since it’s a bit closer to the water. We need them to leave.”

“-les, are you sure you won’t reconsider my proposition?”

“I am not going to-“

“I can give you money, power, anything you want.”

Adrien leaned in, far too close for comfort if you as Marinette, and whispered, “Oh yeah. That doesn’t sound familiar.”

Charles growled, “I don’t want for this to continue! I thought it’d be fun, but I’m just stressed all the time! I don’t like the way this makes me feel. I feel like I’m doing something wrong.”

“Maybe he wants out?”

“Maybe.”

“Charles, please-”

“Look at what I got from the infirmary.” Something small and lightweight hit the bedside table as he continued, “It’s been fun, but you’ve ruined my relationship and, if this gets out, possibly my job. So, one last time?”

Tikki looked tense, “I think I know where this is going and you need to get out of here now.”

“Do you sense something? Should we-” Suddenly the bed dipped and a loud ‘oof’ was heard. Marinette wished she was split up again if only to smack herself for diving headfirst into this. The bed started creaking and by the noises they heard it was clear they should’ve followed Charles’ orders to just leave. Marinette closed her eyes and pictured herself anywhere but there while Adrien wore a look of pure embarrassment.

Marinette continued scolding herself in her mind as the couple got more heated, “This was a bad idea! Stupid idea! Reckless idea! Adrien was right, I should’ve just asked Damian! He’s a detective! They’re all detectives! What was I thinking?”

Meanwhile, Adrien was singing to himself in his head to distract himself from the graphic content thankfully blocked by the mattress. “Little kitty on a roof, not underneath a bed with his Lady. Totally not underneath a bed with his Lady. Nope, he’s on a roof. Little kitty on a roof. Little kitty, keeping his innocence, on a roof, away from here.” He looked over to see Plagg stifling laughter while Tikki just seemed apologetic.

He rolled his eyes and was about to shoo Plagg away when the bed stopped moving. Both Adrien’s and Marinette’s hearts raced as they thought they’d been caught. Adrien waited for someone to yell at them or call security, instead he heard a very disappointed, “Really?”

“It’s-”

“No, you know what? That was it. I’m going to go now.” Charles got up from the bed and headed towards the door.

Michael scrambled after him, “Wait! Charles! I can make it up to you!” He nearly fell as he tripped over his pants. He cursed to himself and pulled his pants up while Charles left the room. “Charles!” Michael slammed the door as he struggled to run and button up his pants at the same time. Further down the hall, the two heard Michael weakly plead, “I’ll buy you anything you want! A hat? I’ll buy you a hat! Charles!”

It took a moment for them to gather their bearings before Marinette started giggling. Not loudly, they were still in hiding after all, but something about it was contagious. Adrien was quick to follow as he heard himself chuckle. He dragged himself out from underneath the bed and pulled Marinette out once he was free. Any tension surrounding them faded as they completely fell into hysterics.

Marinette tried catching her breath as she made a terrible attempt to mimic Michael’s pleas, “W-Wait! I’ll buy you a hat! Are you kidding me?”

Plagg continued laughing alongside them while Tikki was just grateful her kid wasn’t scarred. As she watched the two make fun of their situation, she couldn’t help but wonder what got them here. In this room, after what some would consider a traumatic incident, they were laughing and joking with each other just like old times. Good times.

Adrien snorted, “Must be an expensive hat because that was _so bad_!” Marinette burst into another fit, practically rolling on the floor with Adrien quick to follow.

Ten minutes. It took the group ten minutes to compose themselves and catch their breath. Still trying to control himself, Adrien struggled to pay attention to whatever Marinette was telling him. “What did you say?”

“I said we can rule them both out. After what we just heard, I think it’s safe to say they’re in the clear.”

Adrien nodded and wipes his eyes, “Aw man. There go our suspects.”

“Well, that just narrows it down further. We still got Lila.”

“We still got Lila.” Adrien stood up and straightened out his clothes before holding his hand out, “C’mon. Let’s go before they come back for a do-over.”

Marinette bit her lip to keep from laughing, “Not funny.”

“I’m hilarious, what are you talking about?” She playfully pushed him before looking out the peephole. The coast seemed clear enough and the group headed out. The tried to keep it casual as they walked out of the staff’s residential wing, but as soon as they were out they were back to struggling.

“That was such a bad idea. What was I thinking?”

“No clue. You’re going to have to fill me in on how you came to your brilliant plan of attack, princess.”

“Well, I – Wait. You called me 'princess'.” He turned to see her looking surprised.

He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. He thought to himself for a moment and realized something. The dark pit in his stomach didn’t bother him as much anymore. He looked around the mostly empty stairway and realized that this might be as good a place as any. He continued leading her to a more secluded area and closed the door behind him. He opened up his pocket for Plagg to give him some quick encouragement before addressing her.

“Marinette, I was mad at you. I’m still a little mad at you. It wasn’t fair that you told Damian first after I’ve been asking for years and I felt like I was losing you.” He grabbed her hand and squeezed it, “I miss you. I missed having my old partner back and seeing her again throughout this trip brought up a lot of feelings I let go of. I didn’t think they’d affect me as much as they did, but they did. I want you to be happy, but I want an apology at least for not trusting me enough to tell me about him knowing. That’s the least you can do.”

She sighed and squeezed his hand back, “Oh, but kitty I didn’t tell him.”

Adrien seemed taken aback, “What?”

She nodded and continued, “I didn’t tell him. I didn’t have to. He knew.” She looked almost wistful as she thought back, “After that first Akuma, they all knew something was up. The more we talked about our lives and our responsibilities, he figured it out. Just like I figured him out. It came to a point when we were in Staller’s den just talking when we finally just let our guard down.” Her smile was bitter, “I didn’t have to tell him anything. By the time we both said it out loud, it was more of a formality than anything. He just understood and listened and he accepted me. All of me.” She gulped as she pushed the tears down, “He saw Marinette. Damian has seen me angry, crying, scared, stubborn, brave, everything. He’s seen everything and accepted it. Not Ladybug, but Marinette.”

Her voice wavered as she turned back to Adrien, “When I loved you, I loved Adrien. I loved this sweet, reserved, smart, handsome guy. Still, that was only Adrien and I could never see past that. You were always somewhere I couldn’t reach and I realized one day that I never would because you didn’t see me either.” She played with his ring a bit and smiled, “When I found out I was scared. I was happy. And I was so mad at myself for not seeing it sooner.”

Adrien forced himself to ask, “You think if we knew back then that we’d be together now?”

Marinette laughed, “Be together? Mom and Dad would’ve had the wedding cake baked!” She sniffed and shook her head, “You’re right. I should’ve told you that he knew. I got so used to keeping secrets that I didn’t even think about telling you and I should’ve and I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Adrien.”

Adrien bit his lip, “I don’t want to be left out anymore. You were my first friend ever and Ladybug was the best thing to ever happen to me. I can’t lose both of you.”

“You won’t. We’re partners.” She held out her fist and smiled, “What’s a Ladybug without her Cat Noir?” He smiled and bumped his fist against hers. “No more secrets.”

“No more secrets.” He thought for a moment before leaning close, “Can I kiss you?” She looked confused before hesitantly nodding. She gulped and closed her eyes and he couldn’t help but notice her apprehension. He remembered the first time he did something like this. It was right after the first encounter with Glaciator. When he leaned in close, she had a look of anticipation. It gave him a bit of hope that she may have felt something for him. Now, she was different. When he noted the lack of excitement on his end, he realized so was he. He gently kissed her cheek and pulled back, “You love him, don’t you?”

She opened her eyes, still confused but she nodded. She became bashful as the heat slowly crept up her cheeks, not from the kiss but the question. He nodded, “The way you talk about him. It’s obvious.”

She frowned and turned away, “Yeah, but I feel like I just ruined it all.”

“Why?”

“After you left, I got mad at Damian for putting you in that position. The only reason he wouldn’t let you leave is because I wouldn’t tell him who Cat Noir was.” She clenched her fists, “Stupid detective urges.”

“What happened?”

Her blush became more prominent as she tugged at her ponytails, “I told him I didn’t love him anymore!”

“Wait, you told him you loved him? You actually said that?”

“Of course not!” She thought back and sighed, “I said I thought I loved him and after the stunt he pulled that I wasn’t so sure anymore.” She crossed her arms, “I wish I didn’t. It would make this trip easier for everyone.”

“Well, based on the way he looks at you I’d say the feeling is mutual.”

She rolled her eyes and pouted, “That’s not funny kitty.”

Adrien's eyes grew wide and he placed a hand over his chest, “Have I ever lied to you, bugaboo?” She gave him a dumb look and he shrugged, “A bunch of times about my identity, but not about love.” He squeezed her shoulders and smiled, “Look, I know what look he’s giving you. I gave you that same look. He just wears it with a frown while I wore it with a devilishly handsome grin.” As if to prove his point he smiled and wiggled his eyebrows for added comedic effect.

It worked and she snorted, “Be serious.”

“I am serious. Look, Damian doesn’t seem like the type to say it, but he shows it in other ways. He shows it by always spending time with you. By listening to you. By trusting you, which I hear from his brothers is a **_very_** hard thing for him to do.” He patted her cheek and did his best to sound reassuring, “I’m sure one of his brothers have told you the same thing.”

“Jason did actually.”

“And Jason isn’t the type to sugarcoat anything like this. If Jason says Damian likes you that means he’s probably head over heels.”

She wanted to keep denying it, but with everyone testifying against her own self-doubt it was hard to. She bit her lip, “Okay, but how do I-“

“Spar with him.”

“What?”

“Why do you think I came around so calm? I just got out of a water balloon battle royal!” He leveled with her, “It’s always worked for us and it worked for you guys too when you first met, didn’t it?” She nodded, “Then? What’s holding you back?”

She looked into herself and shook her head, “I’m holding myself back.”

“How do we push you to let go and talk to him?”

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, “I’m probably going to need some help and a physical push.”

Adrien smiled, “Hey, that’s what I’m here for. Saving lives and healing hearts.”

“And prowling like the alley cat you are.”

“Hey! I. Am. Pedigree.” He huffed and crossed his arms, “Watch yourself.”

She giggled and before he knew it, she wrapped her arms around him. She was squeezing the life out of him, but before he could ask a question she mumbled. “I missed you so much.”

He smiled and hugged her back, “I missed you too.” He pulled away and began to drag her out of the room, “No more stalling. Let’s go.”

“Wait!” He stopped and turned back to see her more concerned. Not about her boy troubles, but something more serious. “If there’s not going to be any more secrets then I need to talk to you about Master Fu.”

“Oh, right. I have something to share too, I guess.” She looked confused but he shook his head, “You first.”

She nodded, “So I was talking to him about the Akumas, specifically Tess. You remember her power?”

“Which one, the fireballs or the super-speed?”

“No, no, the other one. ‘Separate’.”

“What about it?”

“Well, it worked on me, Damian, and a few others that ran before you got there but it didn’t work on everyone. It didn’t work on you.” He remembered the encounter and he remembered her being so close.

It made him shudder, “I remember.”

“Well, it’s been driving me crazy but I think I know why.” She bit her lip, “It was right after Damian told me a secret about his family and I was apprehensive. My heart wanted me to stay but my mind was telling me to run and that disconnect and conflict is what separated us. It’s probably what separated Tess in the first place too.”

“Okay?”

“All the ones on the ship have gotten progressively more and more chaotic and Tess’ Akuma was the worst so far. This wasn’t something petty like Chloe embarrassing Kim or Max losing a game, this was serious emotional turmoil.” She sighed, “Look, we don’t know what caused that first Akuma, but since the Akumas have become more and more unstable and aggressive. Remember Lucas had the gang violence he was working through? Hawkmoth always went for something easy like heartbreak or jealousy. He has never gone to these lengths to akumatize truly troubled people. The only ‘normal’ one we know of so far is your dad.”

“So what are you saying? He’s getting more aggressive in his M.O.?”

“Or maybe he’s not the one choosing the victims?”

“What?”

“Think about it. He hasn’t spoken to any of them, the way he chooses his victims is different, and he doesn’t even follow a pattern anymore. It was always about the miraculous and now none of them care about it.”

“Yeah, but there’s no way Hawkmoth let go of the butterfly miraculous.”

“Maybe he didn’t.” He must’ve looked confused because she explained further, “What if there’s an Akuma on board that sends them out? Or what if there’s an accomplice targeting people for him?”

“Then that would mean an Akuma has been on the ship this whole time.”

“Exactly. It could’ve been when we were boarding back home. We were still in France back then.”

“If that’s the case, how has it flown under our radar this whole time?”

“I don’t know.” She sighed, “I wanted to ask Fu to leave me a few more miraculous just in case things got worse, but then your dad got akumatized.”

He grinned, “Looks like me and you have the same mind because when I talked to him I asked him to leave some miraculous too.”

“What? Seriously?”

“Yeah! Look, I have a bad feeling about the rest of the week and I figured it’d be a lot easier with back up.”

She smiled and ruffled his hair, “You’re the best! Oh, full disclosure. Right. Carapace-”

“Is Nino and Rena is Alya.” Her eyebrows shot straight up and he shrugged, “I saw them wearing their miraculous at the water balloon fight. It helps to know what they look like out of transformation.”

“Smart kitty.” She placed a hand over her chest, “I feel like a weight has been lifted.”

Adrien smiled and yanked her arm, “Now, come on! We have to go find Damian.”

“Eh? What? Now? Couldn’t we strategize more? Adrien!”

“No more stalling!”

The gravity of their new mission must’ve hit her because the closer she got to their side of the boat, the worse her rambling became. He felt the sudden urge to snap at her before realizing that the feeling came out of nowhere. His hair stood on end and he looked around, “What the-”

“Adrien!” The voice made them both flinch as they slowly turned to see a familiar face walking up to them. “Congratulations on making it to the final four. I heard you put up a very good fight.” She twirled her hair a bit and smiled, but Marinette pulled away. “Oh, Marinette. I didn’t see you there. You look so small.” Her smile was sweet enough but her eyes were cold and calculating. “Shouldn’t you be with the captain? I heard he was really upset after someone misplaced some, oh gosh what was it again? Photos?”

Marinette tensed, “What? What photos?”

“I don’t know. Some old ones. I got bored and left.” Marinette didn’t stay long to hear anything else she had to say. Without thinking twice she bolted towards what he assumed was the den. Adrien turned back to Lila and looked her up and down. To his surprise, she did the same. She frowned, “What’s got you in a good mood?”

“How do you know I’m in a good mood?”

“I just do.” She huffed, “Whatever, you both seemed to be getting along better. You guys finally kiss and make up?”

“Yes actually. We’re better than ever. What’s it to you?”

“It’s inconvenient.” She looked at her nails and sighed, “I guess I should’ve figured.”

He looked more closely at her and noticed the heavier make up around her eyes, “Lila, are you okay?”

“What?”

“Why do you look so tired?”

“Why do you care all of a sudden?”

“We’re friends, aren’t we?” He knew he struck a chord with that line after she turned away. She started to mess with the sleeves of her shirt and her bracelet. He stepped closer, ignoring the anxiety creeping up on him, “Come on. Tell me. Is it the Akumas-”

“Adrien, shouldn’t you be running after her or something?” She stood her ground and watched him like a hawk, “Well?”

“Lila, we don’t like each other but I don’t want to see you getting hurt.”

Lila rolled her eyes and scoffed, “Of course you do. Look, I don’t have to tell you anything and I can send one text to get you off this boat.”

Surprisingly, he gulped as he countered, “Then why haven’t you?” She didn’t answer, instead, she walked away and grumbled. Suddenly the air came back into his lungs and he could breathe again. The anxiety started fading and he wondered when he got so nervous around her. If Marinette was still here, he could say he was feeding off her anxieties, but he couldn’t use that excuse.

He looked back up and watched her walk away. She seemed normal, for the most part, but she was tense and in a bad mood. Her bag was stuffed with something, but he couldn’t tell what. Without thinking, he called out to her, “What’s in the bag?”

She stopped and turned back to him, “What?”

“What’s in the bag?”

Lila held her bag tighter, “Why would I tell you? It’s my bag.”

Bingo. “Lila, what’s in the bag? If it’s nothing, then you shouldn’t have any issues showing me.”

She stomped her way back over to him and wagged her finger in his face, “I have a right to privacy. You’re not a cop, Adrien.”

“_Lila_-”

“Adrien, just go and-”

It dawned on him, “Oh my god. You have the photos, don’t you?”

Her brows furrowed, “What? No. I don’t have any stupid photos.”

“Then tell me what’s in the bag.”

While her frustration grew, so did his resolve. She spoke to him in a stern voice, “Adrien, I don’t have to tell you anything. It’s none of your business.”

Adrien sighed and held his hands up, “Fine, but if I find out-”

“If you find out what, Adrien? You don’t know what I’ve been up to. None of you do! All you guys do is talk to Marinette. Hang out with Marinette. Help Marinette with her stupid boy troubles. Marinette this, Marinette that – None of you guys have even talked to me since that first stop!” She gulped as she struggled to keep her voice even, “Not even Alya.”

He felt an overwhelming sensation of guilt, “Lila-”

“Save it. I don’t know what she did, but I know she turned them against me. I don’t care what anyone says, I don’t like Marinette. This stupid trip was to steal the class away and it's _working_.” She growled and tightened her grip on her bag, “Not that you care.”

This time she practically ran from Adrien and he couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. A voice in the back of his head reminded him that she did this to herself, but another part of him wished things were different. She was right about one thing though, he had to go find the rest of his friends.


	19. Ground Swell

Chloe could tell Damian could tell she had something to say. Her sighing and unusually reserved body language was a dead giveaway for someone in their field. Still, she couldn’t the words out of her head. “Let’s check the back stairway next.”

“Right.” The photos. She could continue the search for the photos and that would be an easy distraction. She mobilized the staff to keep a lookout, still the photos seemed to disappear. They split off into groups to look for them. Before anyone could say anything, she snatched up Damian’s arm and declared themselves the first team. Almost everyone seemed surprised by this. Almost. Jason glanced over with a knowing look as they continued to break off.

Chloe and Jason went back and forth when they first overheard the conversation. She’s been completely on edge since. Jason knew. Jason said he knew but to hear it out loud made him nervous. She remembered his face as he eavesdropped. It was almost like watching an old cartoon. His features were exaggerated as it morphed into different expressions. First, his face was grim, full of concern, then suddenly it was pale, then it was angry. Not explosive, but subtle and festering. His voice was lacking any sense of sarcasm as he finally said something. “That was dirty, Bruce.” She pried it out of him. He didn’t want to say anything, but she pried it out.

At first, she was happy with the news. These two could finally talk and get past this, but after talking to Jason for a bit she understood the implications. The only reason the others dated was that they dated in their field. They were superheroes. Marinette could barely handle Lila, she can’t handle a supervillain. Love meant vulnerability. Vulnerability meant danger. Danger meant pain or worse. She wondered when things got so complicated. She should be telling half of the staff and this should be a media storm, now she wanted to bury at the bottom of the darkest hole she could find. She shouldn’t let him know she knew.

Yet, she’s still itching to tell him. She wanted to scream at him to go find her. As annoying as it was, she was finally seeing the old Marinette again. She pushed the feelings of nostalgia down but even she knew she missed it.

“Your anxiety is rubbing off on me.”

“What?”

Damian sighed, “What’s wrong?”

Chloe bit her lip and took a deep breath, “What’ll happen if we don’t find the photos?”

“We make it up to Staller. We didn’t do anything to them when we cleaned the den but I still feel responsible.” Chloe hummed and looked down the railings. The stairway was empty, more used by staff than passengers. She didn’t see anything but still she moved down. “I know there’s more to it.”

She waved her hand dismissively but only to keep him from seeing them shake. “Of course there is but I’m debating telling you.”

“It’ll just stay on your mind if you don’t say something.”

She crossed her arms and huffed, “I know that.”

“Then? It’s not like you to keep your mouth shut.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“When something’s on your mind you’re the type to just say it.” The further down they went the easier it was to hear things like the engine and motors. Always running but usually mixed with all the background noise. “So?”

“So?”

Damian looked at her dumbly and bluntly said, “Your head will explode trying to keep a secret.”

“Shut up.” He was right though. She gripped the railings and took a deep breath before tugging at her hair and screaming to no one in particular, “WHY IS THIS SO HARD?”

Damian covered his ears, her cries echoed in the stairway and made the railings vibrate. Damian flinched, “Chloe!” He watched as she hit her head against the railing. He was about to continue scolding her when he noticed something shine in her hair. He reached out for it before Chloe snapped her head around and clasped her hand over his wrist.

“What are you doing?”

“What’s in your hair?”

“A comb. You know, for style? Something you clearly need more of.” While he hasn’t spent an incredible amount of time with the girl, she wasn’t exactly complex. She was hiding something. He sized her up before noticing something sticking out of her purse. He narrowed his eyes and suddenly grabbed the purse, “Hey!”

He slung the purse over his shoulder and pushed her face away, keeping her at an arm’s length and the purse out of her reach. Despite her scolding and curses, he looked through the purse and only needed to push a few things aside to find what he was looking for. Big eyes, antennae, yellow and black fur, ginormous head. Despite the bee looking hesitant, when he gently pet her head she reciprocated with a soft buzz. “When did you get your miraculous back?”

He finally let go of her face, nearly toppling her over the stairs and grabbed her arm to stabilize her. Chloe huffed held her hand out, “Give Pollen back.”

“That’s her name?”

“Give it.” Damian was careful not to jostle the kwami as he held out her purse. Chloe snatched it and opened the purse, “You okay?”

“Yes, my queen.”

Chloe’s smile was soft, “Good.”

“So?”

Chloe put the purse back over her shoulder, “So?”

“When’d you get your miraculous back?”

Chloe frowned and held her head high, “You stole my purse and pushed me. Why should I tell you?”

Damian rolled his eyes and nudged her, “Is this what’s been on your mind?”

Chloe sighed, “No.”

“Then?”

She clutched her bag and walked a few steps down. Debating one final time before looking back, “What do you think about Marinette?”

Damian blinked before asking, “Where did that come from?”

Chloe gripped the strap of her purse and looked down the stairs, “After the last Akuma, Jason kept his communicator in.” He didn’t say anything so she continued, “We didn’t know you guys were having a private conversation and-”

The first step he took down the steps made her flinch. She braced herself for yelling or pushing. Each step closer made her anxious until she noticed he walked past her to the next floor’s landing. He looked up and held out his hand. She cautiously reached out, bringing her hand back a bit when she touched his fingertips. Yet when she put her hand in his, he gently guided her down the stairs. He didn’t say anything. The silence only put her further on edge, “What are you going to do?”

He looked at her with a rare uncertainty before he shook his head, “I don’t know. I don’t know how any of this is supposed to work.” He continued walking down the stairs with Chloe following close behind, “I told Marinette that too.”

“She really cares about you.”

“I know.” He sighed and ran his fingers through her hair, “She said she loved me, but then took it back after the fight.”

Chloe gulped before she nervously chuckled, “I never would’ve thought she’d do that. She could barely talk to Adrien when she loved him.”

“So I’ve heard.” He looked around, “What floor should we check now?”

“Let look at sublevel 6. I doubt anyone’s gone that far down.” He nodded and continued downstairs. Chloe snorted, “If you tell her, I’m sure she’d faint.”

“That’s not exactly encouraging.”

“She’ll be happy, dumb bird.” She frowned, “I’m worried though.”

“About Marinette.”

“Right.” She crossed her arms and sighed, “If she gets into trouble because of you-”

“I’m not going to see her as Robin.”

“But if someone finds out she could be a target.”

“I know. She knows that too.”

“I know, but remember what she said at the sleepover?” Damian stopped and turned to look at her, “She’s an all or nothing type. She’d put that stuff aside and you’re going to let her.”

“So you’re against it.”

Chloe walks down and stands eye to eye to him. She sized him up and sighed, “Before a few months ago, I didn’t like Marinette. I’ve been messing with that girl since we were little kids. I honestly thought she was one of the most annoying people I’ve ever met.” She bit her lip and looked to her feet, “I was really bad to her. Still, once I actually hung out with her I figured out why everyone else liked her. She’s nice. Like ridiculously nice. She wants what’s best for people. Even when she’s utterly incompetent, she tries hard.” She smiled, “Besides Adrien, she’s probably my closest friend. Even over Sabrina, but Sabrina hung out with Lila more and more around the same time everyone else did.”

She shook her head, “Marinette wants what’s best for everyone. Her going after you was the first time I’ve seen her really go for something because she wanted to. Not to make others happy. Not because someone pushed her. Because she really fell for you. She was happiest with you and I think that’s what’s best for her.” She walked down the last few steps walked past him, “If you say you can keep her safe, you can make her happy, and that you talked to her about it then I say go for it.” She grabbed the door handle and looked back with a smirk, “Besides, if you take her off my hands then you guarantee I have a chance with Adrien.”

Damian shook his head and did his best to suppress a smile, “How’s that going?”

“I think we’re getting somewhere. Now come on, my arm’s getting tired.” Damian walked through and they continued their search on the floor. Not many come down here, but then again the circumstances of the missing photos are suspicious at best. They needed to look everywhere. “When are you going to talk to her?”

“I don’t know. I don’t want to push her if she isn’t ready to talk.”

“But you have a right to speak your mind. If I had to keep my mouth shut every time I was in the wrong, I’d be mute.”

“So you admit you have a big mouth?”

“Never.”

Damian flicked the side of her head and sighed, “Anything from the staff?”

“No.” Chloe hummed, “We didn’t touch the photos during the cleanup. Marinette made sure of that.”

“I know. So either one of us took the photo-”

“Or someone came in and took them.” Chloe opened her purse and allowed Pollen to fly out. “Hey Damian, no one should be down here right now right?”

“Very few people should be down here right now. Dinner is happening right now so most the residents and staff are back up on the main deck.”

“Perfect.” She held out her hand let Pollen rest on it, “Do you want to go snooping around for me, Pollen?”

Damian was surprised at the sudden request and asked, “Isn’t that a bit dangerous?”

Chloe waved him off and waited for Pollen to give her some kind of response. Pollen nodded and Chloe pet the top of Pollen’s head, “There’s one good thing about not having a secret identity; no one is surprised. When Pollen comes by the hotel, the staff doesn’t even bat an eye because they know she’s with me. Even if she is seen, everyone knows I’m Queen Bee.” Chloe watched Pollen fly off and shrugged, “No secrets means I can take a direct approach which is perfect for me. I hate hiding.”

Damian hummed and pulled out his phone, “That’s just reckless.” He pulled up a person he’s been contacting more and more often nowadays. The ringing was minimal before he answered, “Damian?”

“Max, when you get the time, you or Markov need to look through the surveillance footage and see who’s been in the captain’s den the past 24 hours.”

He could hear Max sigh, “I’ll have Markov do it. He’d be more efficient and better at facial recognition.”

“You okay?”

“Tired.” Max pushed down a laugh as he added, “I should be getting paid for all of this.”

Damian recognized just how often they’ve relied on Max since he hacked the computer in the first place. He was like their own substitute Oracle, it was easy to fall into a habit of relying on him. He forgot that Max was just a kid in Marinette’s class. He was probably getting burnt out. Damian looked to the ceiling and shook his head, “If you and Markov want to take a break, go ahead. I’ll just do it.”

“You sure?”

“Go relax.” There was a moment of silence before Max told Damian a genuine “Thanks.” Damian hung up and messaged his brother with the same request. Tim responded with a simple thumbs-up. “Chloe, since we’re down here I’m going to check on the surveillance cameras. You’ll be okay on your own, right?”

Chloe looked back at him with a bored expression and waved her hand. “Go ahead. Unlike Jason, I don’t need a babysitter to get the job done.”

Damian bit his lip to keep from smiling at the joke, “Don’t be fooled by the frequent idiocy. He’s actually competent.”

Chloe smirked, “Well, well, well. Did Damian Wayne just complement his brother?”

“Not on your life.”

Chloe snorted and shooed him off, “Go already. You’re distracting me anyways.” Damian rolled his eyes and sent her a small wave as he made his way down a few more levels to the computer room. It was times like this he wished he knew all the shortcuts, would’ve made the walk more interesting. As far as he knew, only Tim knew all the hidden routes, but he wouldn’t be surprised if he showed a few to any of the others.

He wouldn’t say he hated the normal routes, it gave him a second to think. Both Chloe and Jason knew, which meant at the very least his brothers knew. Chloe seemed to be serious about keeping her mouth shut thus far, so Adrien and Alya probably didn’t know. If he was honest, he’s surprised he hadn’t heard from more people, but by some miracle the contents of this vacation are staying on the ship. He remembered an earlier conversation with Staller and figured he was in another bottle, albeit a temporary one. A part of him told him it was close to breaking, but he couldn’t figure out how to prevent it. There were multiple sources of strains on the bottle; Marinette, Adrien, Staller, Lila, the Akumas, his own mental health, and his family. It was a wonder he hadn’t retreated further into himself and his work, then again that was why they brought him on the trip in the first place.

Damian noticed the door was slightly ajar and pushed it open. Adrien seemed to have had same idea and Marinette stood beside him with her eyes glued on the screen. The footage was sped up and Marinette seemed to be taking notes, probably names of the visitors. He knocked on the door and Marinette jumped. It snapped them both out of their trance. “Any suspects?”

Adrien didn’t answer at first, instead he looked between the two and coughed loudly. Marinette snapped her head to him and shook her head. Their silent argument became more noticeable when Adrien frowned and his shoulders slumped. He sighed and then stood up. Marinette glared at him, “You wouldn’t.”

Adrien sized her up and finally turned to Damian, “Damian, Marinette wants a fi-”

Marinette clapped her hands over Adrien’s mouth, “I get it! I get it! I’ll go, but pay attention to the screen!”

Adrien dramatically gasped, “I can handle that much!” Marinette’s face deadpanned and Adrien pouted, “I can!”

Marinette rolled her eyes and ran her fingers through his hair, “I know you can.”

Adrien leaned into her touch and she smiled. A tender moment between the two but Damian shuffled his feet, feeling too out of place. “You two are getting along better.”

Marinette snatched her arm back and seemed to light up. Adrien turned to Damian and sized him up, “We are.” He turned back to Marinette and nodded his head in Damian’s direction. Adrien grinned and in a teasing voice said, “Go on, Bugaboo. Tell him.”

Marinette growled and Damian continued to shift his attention between the two. “Tell me what?”

Marinette bit her lip before shaking her head and pushing herself forward. She grabbed his shoulders and looked him right in the eye. Her teeth hurt as they grinded together while she built up her nerve. Damian was clearly confused but was kind enough to give her a minute. Marinette’s voice died in her voice as she tried to say anything to the boy she held. Her grip loosened up as it became clear she wouldn’t be able to talk to him.

Marinette pulled back and shook her head as she covered her face. “Ah! I can’t do it! I can’t!” Damian found himself reaching out, but she spun on her heels and ran out the door.

Adrien hung his head, a disappointed groan echoed in the silence. He looked up at Damian waved motioned to the door, “Well? Go after her. What are you waiting for?”

Damian wasn’t the greatest at reading these types of social cues, his brothers bested him in that aspect. Still, it was being spelled out to him by this boy who, as far he knew, considered him a kind of rival. Damian nodded and ran after Marinette, slamming the door behind him. “Hey!” Damian looked around and saw her silhouette turning a far corner. “Marinette!” He ran after her, turning the corner and running down the corridor. “Damn it.”

Chasing after her and losing sight of her around every corner brought him back to that first night on the ship. That was their first disagreement. Back then he didn’t know exactly why he chased after her, only knowing that he probably should after the look of betrayal on her face. It was fueled by a vague sense of guilt and confusion over the misunderstanding.

He shoulder checked someone as he ran past them, “Ah! Sor-” He was met with familiar green eyes and scowled at them, “Look I don’t have time for you. Where’d she go?”

Lila gripped her purse and held it away from Damian as she pointed down the hall, “Be careful next time.”

Damian rolled his eyes and followed her direction. He made a mental note to check in with Lila later, her presence below deck made him nervous. Right now he was running up the stairs after a girl who may or may not even want to talk to him. That first night had him running down the different floors before finally reaching her door only for her to hide from him. This time he was climbing up and he wasn’t going to let her hide from him. The guilt was still there, but so were the unchecked feelings that have been simmering since their dispute.

They were getting closer and closer to the surface, a gust of wind hitting his face as he finally stepped foot on the main deck. He looked around before catching a glimpse of her. He rarely appreciated his upbringing, but during endurance runs like this he was grateful. He was trying to figure out where she was headed during the chase, but he wasn’t expecting the final destination. She skidded to a stop in front of the arcade, panting heavily as she waited for him to catch up. Damian stopped a few feet away from her and simply looked at her.

Her face was red, whether that was from her emotional state or the run he couldn’t tell. She stare was steady, but her body moved with each breath. He figured the suit gave them heightened physical abilities, but to think she ran up six levels while being chased was an impressive feat. She took a deep breath and steadied herself, using the door as a pushing off point to stand up straight. Back in the computer room, Marinette struggled, but right now she looked as if she was in her own element. He wondered how their friends could doubt she was Ladybug when she looked like this.

Marinette wiped the sweat off her forehead and looked over her shoulder. “It’s open.”

Damian took a second to gather his thoughts before asking, “What’s open?”

Marinette motioned for him to follow as she led him inside the arcade. He wondered when they were last in here; to him it’s felt like ages. The shooting console that they fell asleep in caught his eye as they walked deeper into the arcade. “This.”

He looked up at the dance machine and squinted at the bright neon lights. “This?”

Marinette nodded and she walked up onto the machine. He took stage beside her and watched as she shuffled through the different playlists. When she landed on the song she wanted, she hesitated to put the start button. She looked at him, still tired from the chase but ready to challenge Damian at his best game. “I want to spar.”

“What?”

“I want to spar with you!” Her hands bunched into fists as she continued to address him, “I don’t know how else to talk to you and I don’t know how else to deal with the feelings either!” She pushed her bangs out of her face, “I want to talk to you, but I just can’t when I can’t even look at you without feeling bad about it all. I just want-”

Damian gulped and placed a hand gently on her shoulder. Her nose scrunched up, but she didn’t move away from him. “If you win, I’ll talk first. If I win, you’ll go first.”

She licked her lips and nodded, agreeing to the terms before choosing the hardest difficulty on the song. Both got into position as they watched the countdown. Damian supposed he shouldn’t have been surprised, given this is they dealt with their first fight, but it still confused him why she chose the game. When his body automatically centered itself and took the first step without even concentrating on the screen, he wondered why this song.

He managed to steal glimpses of her in throughout the song. Her concentration on the screen was not unlike his own and he began to notice some differences between now and her first try on the machine. The movements still held a hint of fluidity to them, but the flair was gone. The competitive glimmer morphed into determined desperation to win. Damian debated for a second letting her win, but she called out to him as soon as she noticed his movements slow down. “Hey! It’s not fair if you let me win!” She didn’t look at him and she didn’t have to, Damian knew she was pouting at the thought of him just throwing in the towel.

It was a glimpse of something older, something missing. It made him excited and nervous all the same. Damian turned all his attention to the screen, focusing on the incoming commands as he kept an eye on her score. He could’ve gone on autopilot if he wanted to, he knew ‘Crazzee Boi’ well enough. Still, she wanted a fair fight. He could give her that much.

Another turn, another jump, another symbol, it was all leading to something. Both hoped it was something good as the song blasted through the air granting them temporary mercy from their own thoughts. At least for the second half when the game picked up a bit. In the background, he could hear someone yelling but their scores were too close to look away. As the song moved forward and the patterns got more complex the murmurs were only getting closer and louder until they were full-blown cheers.

Damian drowned out the audience and focused on three things; the screen, his movements, and her scores. He hoped Marinette could do the same. He gulped as his scores were neck and neck with hers. He couldn’t steal a glance, but he wondered what type of face she was making. Was she embarrassed, was she serious, or was she finally having a bit of fun with it? As the song got closer to its end, the curiosity was overshadowed by the swelling of his own competitive tendencies.

His muscles were beginning to pulsate a bit both from the run and the dance. Damian wondered how Marinette was keeping up so well; if he was starting to feel the effects she must’ve been ready to collapse. With one final jump the song finished and it was like breaking the water’s surface after being under for too long. A wave of noise hit him, mainly cheering and jabs by the audience behind him as the points were tallied up on the screen. Damian finally turned to look at her and she was waving bashfully at the crowd behind them. She caught him staring out of the corner of her eyes and looked at him. Her face glistened with sweat and she was panting harder than before. Her hair was messy with all the movement, but he continued to just stare at her. She looked up at the screen and the crowd went wild, but he couldn’t look away.

She smiled and started pushing buttons on the console. He knew the sounds by heart, she was putting in her initials. He struggled to catch his own breath, only coming back to reality when Alix pushed him from behind, “THAT WAS INCREDIBLE!”

He looked beside him and noticed many of their friends walking up on the stage to congratulate their performances. He looked over the small crowd and noticed Dick and Nino in it simply gawking at the whole thing before Dick threw his fist up and cheered for Marinette. Nino caught his eye and he sent him a huge grin. Damian could feel the corner of his mouth twitch as the euphoria from the ordeal was giving him a bit of a runner's high. Nino’s face contorted and, following his line of sight, he looked at Marinette.

She held her head and panted heavily. He was right in his assumption earlier. His movements were pure instinct and he ran forward a bit to catch her before she hit the ground. Before their friends could ask anything, Marinette giggled. She was most likely feeling the same runner’s high as he did, but she looked so tired. The stress from the photos, the stress he gave her, the chase, the competition, it was probably a lot.

Damian looked up at Rose and reassured her, “She’s fine. We’ve been at this for a while so she’s probably exhausted.”

Rose frowned, “Oh Marinette, you can’t push yourself like that!”

Kim nodded and crossed his arms, “Yeah! That’s my job!”

Juleka rolled her eyes, “You should take her to go get water or something.” Damian nodded and picked her up, despite her weak protests. As he walked off the stage he could hear the group arguing in the back over who could go next. He held her close, despite the warmth and the discomfort from the sweat it was comforting to have her so close.

He walked past Nino and Dick on his way out. Dick looked her over and moved her bangs away from her face. Marinette smiled at him and waved her hand, “I’m fine, I got dizzy.”

“You look like death.”

“Thanks.”

Nino snorted, “Seriously, you both look terrible.”

Damian rolled his eyes and adjusted Marinette in his arms, “Where can we go rest for a second?”

Dick looked over the two and pointed out one of the doorways, “Go to the den on this floor. Or go up to Bruce’s den up the stairs.”

Damian looked at Marinette, “Hey, where do you want to go?”

Marinette snorted, “Where ever there’s water.”

“Father’s den it is.” Dick chuckled and ruffled both Damian’s and Marinette’s hair. Damian pulled away, “Quit it.”

Dick shook his head, “Go already. She’s dying there.”

Marinette waved her hand, “Hush!”

Damian pushed down his own laugh as watched Marinette half-heartedly glare at his brother. The walk out the door and towards the den sobered both of them up a bit. She could’ve asked to walk on her own, but she stayed quiet as they walked up. Given the timing, Damian didn’t expect his father to be up there. He had to think about what he should say or she needed him to say, but he couldn’t help but focus on her little shifts and movements as they made their way over.

As they reached the doorway, Marinette squeezed his arm. “You can set me down now.” Damian complied with her request and opened the door for her. The den gave him a sense of privacy after he closed the door behind them. Marinette walked over to the nearest couch and collapsed on it. Damian smiled and grabbed her some water and a treat from the little reserve he keeps for guests. He walked over and knelt in front of her, poking her arm and handing her the glass. He opened up her purse and held out the little sweet for Tikki as she flew out of the purse to grab it. Tikki smiled at Damian and floated over to the chair nearby to eat.

Marinette turned her head towards him and smiled. She sat up and grabbed the glass, practically chugging down the water. She wiped her mouth and mumbled a quick, “Thanks.” Damian nodded and the two sat there for a moment in silence before she nudged him, “I won.”

“What do you want me to say?”

“I don’t know!” Marinette bit her lip and tapped her glass, “Say something.”

Damian thought for a moment before deciding it was best to start at the beginning, “My father and mother always pushed me to get as much information as possible on everyone. Father has back up plans for all the Justice League members and my mother would stalk her target for a while to ensure the best possible way to neutralize them. I got into the habit of researching and tracking anyone and everyone I’ve ever worked with or gotten close to.”

“You didn’t do that with me.”

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng. The class president of her class for the past 2 years in College Françoise DuPont back in Paris, France. Father, Tom Dupain, is French and a baker. Grandparents are Rolland and Gina Dupain. Currently separated. Tom is married to Sabine Cheng. Chinese. The two own a bakery, an occupation passed down from Rolland. Great-uncle is famous chef Wang Cheng. Marinette has other famous affiliates including, but not limited to, Kitty Section, Clara Nightingale, and Jagged Stone. Enjoys fashion, arts and crafts, design and graphic design, video games, music, and animals. Best friends are Alya Cesaire, Nino Lahiffe, Adrien Agreste, and most recently Chloe Bourgeois despite being enemies for years.” He paused and looked over at the girl who stared in shock, “You want me to keep going?”

She blinked and frowned, “How do I know you didn’t just learn that from me during our conversations?”

"You helped Juleka Couffaine with a supposed ‘photo curse’. You set up Nathaniel Kurtsberg with his current partner, Marc Anciel. You won Gabriel Agreste’s designing contest with a pigeon-styled derby hat which was then by Chloe’s mother Audrey Bourgeois. When you first met Adrien, you got into an argument about a piece of gum and soon fell for him after he gave you an umbrella and apologized.” He sighed, “I’m sure you know about Alya and Adrien finding the files on all the Miraculous holders too. That wasn’t even me either, that was Tim. We are all like that. I’m just more aggressive when trying to get information.”

There was a long pause before she said, “Adrien told me about the file when we danced at the dinner. He was worried.”

Damian nodded and groaned, “I don’t like that about myself. I knew it annoyed people and I pissed off my teammates when they learned I put trackers on all of them, but it never backfired like this. Even the trackers helped us save Raven and the rest of the Justice League. All of the information I ever gained always ended up helping me in the end and people forgot about it. It never blew up in my face like this.”

“Do you not trust me?”

“Not at first, no. But then again, I don’t really trust a lot of people.”

Marinette sighed, she knew this but hearing it from him made it different. She was glad to hear him be so honest. “You need to stop trying to gain the upper hand.” Before he could protest, she added, “I’ve already given you mine.”

“Yours?”

“My identity.” She set her glass down on the counter behind Damian as she explained, “That’s the only thing you need to gain the upper hand against me. I’ve had family and friends used against me, none of that worked. I still won. But if anyone knew who I was, they could just come after me as Marinette. My secret identity was the only upper hand I ever had and I gave it away.” She pouted and looked at him, “I gave it to you.”

Damian took a seat next to her, not really knowing how to respond to her but feeling relieved she was talking to him. “I’m glad you trust me. I have to admit, it’s weird to trust you. I’ve only known you for a little while and I still told you everything. I even trust your friends. I don’t really get it.” Damian asked, “Is this some kind of Ladybug thing?”

She waved her hand dismissively, “I wish. Maybe I would’ve managed to convince Lila to be a better person.” She looked down on her lap and her smiled faded, “You scare me, you know?”

He tensed up and immediately felt any hint of warmth leave him, “Oh.”

“It’s scary to know you’ve killed before. It’s scary that you know everything about me as Ladybug and as Marinette. It scares me that this is how you were raised.” She took a deep breath, “But I want to make this work.”

“You’re too forgiving.”

“Maybe. Or maybe I’m just as bad.” Damian furrowed his eyebrows and waited for her to continue. She hugged herself and Damian could sense this is something she’s been ruminating over for a long time. Tikki, on the other hand, watched her chosen with concern. This was a face she’s never seen before.

Damian was ready to be dismissive about her self-doubts, “Marinette, what are you talking about? You’re Ladybug. I seriously doubt you could anything wrong.”

“That’s the problem! That right there!” She threw up her arms, Damian dodged her flailing arms as she continued her rant, “I hate it! I just-” She ran her fingers through her hair and bit her lip, “I am not a good person, Damian.”

Damian scolded her, “You know that’s a lie.”

“Is it?” She took a deep breath, “At least with you, you were raised like that. How were you supposed to know there was another way until after you got away from that life? Me? I grew up normal! I know better! And what do I do?” Her voice hitched and she curled into herself, “I still picked my friends to fight with me. I still treat Cat Noir as bait or ammo. People don’t hesitate to follow literally any word I say because I’m Ladybug. Anything that happens to the people of Paris is on me.”

Damian wanted to interrupt, but she just grit her teeth and continued, “They’ve gone to war for me. Cat Noir has died for me. _Died_! So many times and I’ve always had to live with that! Every time he told me he loved me, it just made me feel guilty. Every time anyone ever got hurt, it didn’t matter to them as long as I could fix it. But I remember! I remember what they did for me. I remember the danger they put themselves in and I just **let them**. I let them, Damian! How bad is that? They’re kids! We’re kids! I am a kid! And I’m supposed to save the world and lead a team and be the next guardian and-”

She couldn’t finish. She just wiped her eyes and took a deep breath, “I didn’t ask for this. I didn’t realize how bad this was going to get. I’ve seen people attack each other, I’ve seen Akumas try to kill their families, and I’ve had to go against everyone I’ve ever cared for. None of them even remember half the time, but I do. I remember everything. And I can’t do anything.” She shook her head, “I’m 15. What do they expect from me? I’m clumsy. I’m dumb. I’m a mess. I can’t even hold myself together half the time, how am I supposed to hold Paris together?”

Her voice finally cracked, “I don’t know if I even want this anymore. Not if it means all of this. I can’t do this.” Her shoulders shook as she held back tears, “I’m not a good person. I’m not even a good hero. I just- I’m just Marinette. The baker’s daughter. That’s it.”

Tikki floated over, staring at Marinette in shock. The kwamis have seen some of their holders crack under pressure, but never this badly. Tikki’s Ladybugs have always held their own pretty well, despite the pressure. They may have a few hiccups and moments of doubt, but none ever had a full-on breakdown. Not like this. Tikki was starting to rethink calling Fu while Damian tried to comfort the girl as best as he could rubbing her back. She didn’t even seem to notice them, she just gulped and wiped her eyes. She looked over at Tikki and felt a wave of guilt wash over her, “Oh, Tikki, I didn’t-”

“Marinette, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize how bad your stress was getting. I assumed it was only because of Lila, I didn’t realize I was part of the problem.” She flew up to Marinette and petted her hair, “You deserve so much better. And you’re right, this is unfair.”

“Then why do it?” The two turned to Damian and he asked again, “Then why give her the miraculous so young?”

“Because that’s how it’s always been. All of our holders have always been young, but it’s a different time now. I think we seem to forget that.”

Marinette sniffed, “What do you mean?”

“Marinette, how long do you think people lived back in the day? Most didn’t live past 50. What you would consider an ‘adult’ now was a 13-year-old back in the day.” Tikki sighed and thought about Adrien and if he’s been feeling the same way. “I think we just keep forgetting that times are changing and you’re right. You are kids.”

Damian moved closer to her and gripped the couch’s armrest as he pushed out his next suggestion, “I think we should tell my father.”

Marinette’s eyes widened and she shook her head, “No. No way! You saw how mad at me he was after the last Akuma attack, right?”

“He doesn’t know who Ladybug is. All he knows is this indestructible superhero put children in the middle of a fight.”

“I did put children in the middle of a fight!” She bit her lip, “I’m-”

“Working with what you have and what you have is your class and your friends. That’s it. If you had better options and the adults weren’t so incompetent then we wouldn’t be having this issue. Even so, you’ve proven to be a good enough hero that people rally and throw themselves in battle for.” He stood up and held out his hand, “We’re both not perfect, especially not as heroes, but I don’t think that makes us bad people.” It took her a second to finally reach out and take his hand. He pulled her up and as soon as she was on her feet, she wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his chest.

This, the contact and warmth and acceptance, is what he was missing since the fight. He was getting desperate and now he didn’t hesitate to return the gesture. They stood there, just holding each other until Marinette finally admitted, “I missed you.”

It was odd to be this openly affectionate, but then again he always acted odd around her. “What else do you want me to tell you?”

“Hm?”

Damian pulled back a bit and pressed his forehead against Marinette’s, “You won. What else do you want me to say?”

Marinette blinked before her shoulders fell and dryly laughed, “I’m sorry.”

“You want me to tell you that?”

“No, I mean I am sorry! I shouldn’t have yelled at you, I shouldn’t have just left you like that!”

“Marinette, it's fine.”

“No, it’s not!” She grabbed his collar and gripped it tightly, “I meant what I said!”

Damian thought back to that conversation and a lot of things were said. It worried him. “Which part?”

She gulped, “I-” Her grip loosened a bit and she pulled back. Her face was red and she bit her lip, her confessions never went well. They always ended with disaster for her and a part of her wondered if it was just her luck. She was almost afraid to say it again, “I-”

Damian pushed himself forward, keeping the contact and afraid she’d run again. She looked him in the eye and pressed her lips in a tight line. Damian thought back and focused on the one good thing she said, “I love you.”

“Huh?”

“That’s what you’re referring to, right?” She nodded and he gulped, “You love me?”

She nodded again and looked ashamed to do so, “Yes and I’m so sorry for using that against you! I was so mad and I said-”

“You said we were a mistake, too.”

She flinched, “I did.”

“Did you mean that too?”

Marinette sighed and gently grabbed his face. She looked at all the little details; his skin tone, his eye color, the shape of his brows, the shape of his lips, and even the bags under his eyes. She rubbed his cheeks with her thumbs and said, “I’m worried. This is only going to get harder for us, isn’t it?”

He couldn’t reassure her. He had the same feeling and his family agreed that she’d be safer away from him. All the different protests and arguments against them echoed in his head as she pinched his cheeks. He huffed and pulled back, “I’m trying to think here.”

She glared at him and pulled him back by his face, bringing her forehead to his and pouting. “You always make the same face when you start thinking about bad things.”

“Well, I can’t say things won’t get _worse_.”

“Well, it’s a good thing I’m Ladybug then. Ladybugs are supposed to be lucky, you know?”

Damian relaxed a bit, “I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“Putting you in that situation. I’m glad you and Adrien made up.” Marinette nodded and he asked, “We should tell Father.”

Marinette thought for a moment and shook her head, “Not without talking to Adrien first. He needs to be on board with this. Please?”

Damian looked at her for a moment before groaning, “You’re doing it again.”

“Doing what?”

“The eyes.”

The reference took her a second, but she giggled and pushed his face away, “Does that mean I win again?”

He sat down and narrowed his eyes at her, “What do you think?”

Moving back into this dynamic was something she hoped they’d be able to do, but feared they’d never get back to it. When she took her seat next to him and leaned on him it was relieving. She rested her head against his shoulder and groaned, “I probably smell like sweat.”

Maybe it’s growing up around primarily men, maybe it’s the lack of normal social cues, but he sniffed the top of her head and shrugged, “Nah.”

Marinette tensed and shied away from him, “You did not just do that.”

“What?”

“Damian, oh my god.”

“_What_?”

“You can’t just do that!”

“You were literally right next to me. I’m telling you, you don’t smell.”

“Why do I get the feeling you’re not reliable?”

“Marinette, you smell fine.”

“I’ve been sweating like crazy.”

“So?”

“So? What do you mean ‘_so’_? So everything! I can’t smell gross when I tell Bruce I’m Ladybug! I have to be presentable when it happens and you aren’t reliable!”

“You’re acting ridiculous.”

“I’m- Nope! I’m going to go shower and text Adrien.”

“Marinette-”

“If he agrees, I need his opinion on what I should wear to meet Bruce because you will be **no help**!”

“_Marinette_-”

“Oh my god, what if he yells at me? I don’t want Bruce to yell at me!”

Damian grabbed her shoulders, “_Marinette_! Calm down. You’ll be fine.”

Marinette’s shoulders fell, “You stink too. Go shower.”

Damian looked at her confused before sniffing his armpit and very bluntly saying, “Nah.”

Marinette pushed him away and laughed, “_Damian_!”

He shrugged, “What?”

She stood up shaking her head, “Shower!”

Damian thought for a moment before wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her back, “No.”

She squealed, “Damian!”

“We’ll stay here.”

She twisted her body in a feeble attempt to get out of his grip, “_Damian_!”

He pulled her into his lap and let out a small ‘oof’. She struggled for a minute and was about to scold him before hearing his voice call out to her. It was so small she froze, “Just for a few more minutes.”

She was more surprised by his request than his actions. She’s never seen him act so vulnerable, it made her warm. She sighed and leaned back, “Fine, but you seriously have to shower if I’m going to hug you after this.” His grip tightened, but she felt snug in his arms. She put her hands over his and looked up at the ceiling, “What’s going to happen when Bruce finds out?”

“He’ll be mad, but he’ll help.”

She nodded, “Okay.”

“You’ll be fine.”

“Promise?”

“I can’t promise you that.”

She closed her eyes, “Right.” He buried his face in her shoulder and mumbled something with the fabric acting as security. “Hm?” He didn’t repeat himself instead they sat there in comfortable silence, Tikki softly munching away on the other seat while the waves threatened to lull them to sleep. However, Damian let go after a few minutes as agreed.

Tikki hid back in Marinette’s purse, still pondering over Marinette’s trouble and wondering what her next step would be. Damian felt light; having aired out most of his demons without losing anyone was rare for anyone outside his close cohort. Still, he couldn’t shake the nasty pit in his stomach that was there whenever something bad was about to happen. Marinette was at the same place mentally. She was happy it went so well with Damian, but admitting her biggest secret to someone like Bruce – the Dark Knight himself – was more than intimidating. She pulled out her phone and pulled up Adrien’s contact. She typed up a quick message, but one sure to put him on edge as well, “We’re telling Bruce.”

She tensed when he immediately read it, but the response eased her mind. “What’s happening now?”

She was glad it wasn’t a negative response and she typed back a simple, “We’ll talk later.” He sent back a thumbs up and she relaxed a bit. She turned off her phone and parted ways with Damian as she made her way to her room. There were a million things she could’ve thought about as she walked to her suite; Adrien’s decision, the possible upcoming conversation with Bruce, her relationship with Damian, her thoughts on the Miraculous, and the upcoming memorial for Anne to name a few. Yet, whether it was a coping method or simply optimism, when she entered her room she looked around with one question in her mind.

“Now, what to wear?”


	20. Riptide

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Suicide 
> 
> If you bothered by this content, stop reading once Staller says "I'll be quick."

“Why are we here again?”

“Because you and Chloe seem to have a good reputation among the staff and Chloe is with Alya.”

“I’m surprised you aren’t with them.”

“I have to do this first.” Jason groaned as Marinette dragged him around on the ship. He could tell they were heading to the staff’s quarters but she didn’t say what for. He thought back to the sudden decision. They were all gathered in the dining hall, she was tired and yawning all day but no one thought much of it. For the most part, everyone was just happy Marinette and Damian made up the day before. Marinette and Adrien were talking, much to his relief, when suddenly she froze. He remembers her suddenly stand up with a yell before realizing she was creating a scene and slowing sitting down. Everyone was clearly confused, but she assured them she’d let tell them after they got some privacy.

“So you think someone has some information on the Akumas? Shouldn’t we just interrogate them?”

“We can’t interrogate kids.”

“Kids?” She looked at her phone and looked up at the room numbers, “Whose kids?”

“Have you heard of a woman named Marleen?” She took a right and continued dragging him along.

“Yeah. She’s a badass who would punch your lights out if you make her mad.”

“Why does it sound like you have personal experience?”

Jason rubbed his jaw and shrugged, “No reason.”

Marinette rubbed her eyes and shook her head, “You’re impossible.”

“No, I’m _lovable_. You guys just won’t admit it.”

Marinette grinned and rolled her eyes, “Well, her kids were the first Akumas.”

“What?” He stopped in his tracks and frowned, “What do you mean?”

Marinette looked back at him and explained, “They were the pirates that attacked the night of the ceremony.” She bit her lip, “I need your help because Marleen doesn’t like me or my class. She might not let me talk to them!”

“Why couldn’t you bring Damian then? He’s good at getting information out of people.”

Marinette flinched, “Yeah, about that. Since we made up yesterday Alya and the other girls took it upon themselves to – um – rough him up or something.”

Jason snorted, “Ah, payback for making you cry.”

“I did not cry!”

“You totally cried.” Marinette pouted, but that only egged Jason on. “You think they’re still interrogating him? No wonder Chloe left with her. He’s probably dead.”

Marinette's voice was whiny as she continued on her path, “I hope not.”

Jason followed her and looked around, “Well, I can at least take another one of Marleen’s punches if you need me to.”

“I’m hoping you’d sweet-talk her or something.”

“Oh, you think your big brother has game?”

“No, but your weirdness might work in my favor.”

“I’m weird now?”

“Define ‘now’.”

Jason grabbed her and put her in a chokehold, “Oh! She has jokes now!”

Marinette wiggled around and shook her head as he messed with her hair, “Get off!”

“Just the other day you were depressed as hell and a guy tells you he loves you-”

Marinette’s face lit up as she looked up at Jason, “What!?”

Jason froze and muttered a curse as he let go, “What?”

Marinette blushed as she fixed her hair, “He didn’t say that.” Of course he didn’t.

Jason grabbed her phone and looked at the room number, clearly he was jumping the gun. “Marleen’s room is nearby. Her kids should be there.”

“Wait, Jason-”

“Come on.” The roles switched so quickly that Marinette couldn’t question it. She was suddenly being the one dragged along down the corridor.

Marinette let out a small ‘_hmph_’ and shook her hand out of his grip, “I’m not letting that go.”

“We’re both stubborn. Of course you wouldn’t.” Jason looked at the screen one last time before stopping in front of a door. “You ready?”

“No, but that’s why you’re here.”

“To be the punching bag?”

She twiddled with her pigtails as she said, “To be my big brother and help me out here.” Jason was pleasantly surprised at the answer, despite the bashful delivery. He smiled and held her close before knocking on the door.

It was muffled, but he could hear some kids inside and a woman yell, “Coming! Coming!” Hearing her unlock the door made Marinette tense, but Jason just did his best to stay cool for her. A woman with messy hair opened the door and frowned, “Jason.”

Jason smiled, “Marleen! Good to see you!”

“What do you want? Who’s she?”

“I hear your kids on the ship. We were wondering if we could talk to them.”

“What are you talking about? My kids left after the first attack and-”

“Mom! Mom! Jacob won’t let me look at the ribbon we won!”

Marleen rolled her eyes and called back, “Jacob! Let your brother see it! He helped you win, you know?” There was a whine that could be heard further into the room and she sighed, “Who wants to know?”

“My sister.”

“Since when do you have a sister?”

“Since she boarded the ship. Marleen meet Marinette.” Marinette nervously waved and smiled at the woman.

Marleen was unimpressed, “You’re the girl from the French class.”

Jason snapped his fingers, “Perceptive as always. Anyways, we’d like to-”

“It’s _your_ fault that my boys got caught up in this mess.” She glared at Marinette and held a demeaning tone as she continued to reprimand Marinette, “You know how scared I was when the attack started and no one knew where my kids were? Imagine my face when the cops call me to say they had my kids in custody and one of them had a _shot leg_! I brought them with me to _avoid_ getting into trouble and then your class shows up-”

Jason held his hands up in surrender and stepped in front of Marinette, “Okay! Okay. So I see you haven’t changed.”

“Don’t make me punch you again.”

“Your kids won the balloon war, so they must be doing well.”

“Smartass. After that first stop in Spain, a bright light suddenly washed over us and my son was better. Can’t explain it. It was-”

“Miraculous.”

Marleen looked at the girl and narrowed her eyes, “Yeah. What do you want with my kids?”

Marinette gulped and asked, “Can I talk to them about the Akumas?”

“You a cop?”

“No.”

“That’s your answer.”

“_Marleen_-”

“Don’t ‘_Marleen_’ me! The trip was fine until _they_ got on it!”

Jason frowned, “That’s not fair. You really think a bunch of 15-year-olds planned this?”

“Crazy world we live in. Who knows? I’m not letting her near my kids. Might be bad luck.”

“Mom!” A kid ran up to Marleen and tugged at her pants, “Hey, are we-” He looked over at Jason and suddenly went wide-eyed, “Oh my god, you’re alive!”

The sudden outburst made Jason snort, “What? Of course I’m alive, kid.”

“But mom _punched_ you! She said she could kill people with her punches.”

Marleen cracked her knuckles, “I still can.”

Jason held his hands up in surrender, “Your mom knocked me out. She throws really good punches.”

The kid nodded, seemingly accepting the answers before asking, “What are you doing here? Are you going to punch him again, Mom?”

“Maybe.”

Jason ignored her and crouched down to the boy’s level, “What’s your name?”

The boy stepped out from behind his mother’s legs, “David.”

“Hey David, I’m Jason. This is Marinette. I wanted to ask you and your brother about the day of the big ceremony.”

David frowned, “Didn’t the cops ask us this stuff?”

“Yeah, but we might’ve figured out something they didn’t.”

Marleen rolled her eyes, “Oh really?”

“Orders from Batman himself.” That caught her attention.

The boy looked surprised before blurting out, “I’ll go get Jacob! Jacob!” He ran back inside the room, excited.

However, Marleen was skeptical, “Really?”

“I wouldn’t be down here if it wasn’t important.”

“Then why is the girl here?”

“She knows the right questions.”

Two boys returned and David pointed up at them, “There they are.”

The older boy gave them the same look Marleen did. Marinette waved and Jacob looked away with a light blush. Marinette giggled but looked at Marleen, “I won’t ask them anything bad. Please, can I talk to them?”

Marleen looked down at her kids, who nodded and she reluctantly gave in. “Fine.”

Marinette nodded and crouched down next to Jason, “Hi. I’m Marinette. You’re Jacob?”

“Yeah.”

“What do you remember about that night? You know the one, right?”

“Yeah.” David rubbed his leg, probably the one that was shot. “We don’t remember doing anything bad.”

“No, no, I didn’t think you would. I want to know what happened right before that. You guys were playing with your toy guns right?”

David nodded, “Yeah, we were playing Batman vs Joker.”

Jacob crossed his arms and huffed, “We weren’t doing anything wrong.”

“I didn’t say you were. I just want to understand something. So you guys were playing, what happened next?”

Jacob sighed, “We started fighting over the gun.”

“Okay. So you guys are fighting over the gun. Then what?”

David shrugged, “Then nothing. I don’t remember anything. Do you?”

Jacob looked back over at Marinette and his face flushed bright red. He stuttered, “Not really.”

Marinette giggled, “You sure?”

David stomped his foot, “You wouldn’t believe us! The cops didn’t.”

Jason gestured to his face and asked, “Come on, do I look like the cops?”

Marleen answered with a quick and snarky, “No.”

The boys shook their head and Jason shrugged, “So tell us. C’mon.”

The boys looked at each other before Jacob finally said, “There was a butterfly.”

“A butterfly?”

“See! You-”

“No! No! No! I’m just making sure I heard that right! A butterfly? A purple one?”

David nodded, “Yeah! It was purple and weird looking and it flew into the gun and-” He suddenly stopped and frowned, “I don’t remember.”

Marinette hummed, “I’m sorry about that. Do you remember anything else about the butterfly?”

“Jacob saw it first.”

Jacob glared at his brother and then seemed nervous to make eye contact with Marinette. He stepped a bit behind his mom, but with a gentle pat on the back form Marleen he gulped. “It came from the vent. That’s all I remember.”

Marinette smiled at him, “You did great. Thank you.”

“How did you know it was purple?”

Jason pulled the kid into his arms and jumped up, “Because we’re awesome.”

David screamed in delight and Jacob came out from behind his mother, “I want to do that!”

“You got it, man.” Jason pulled the boy up onto his shoulders without breaking a sweat and Jacob grinned. “You good?” Jacob laughed and David seemed content with swinging on his arms.

Marleen smiled and looked at Marinette, “I gotta admit, he’s good with kids. With women? He’s a total loss.”

“Hey!”

Marinette nodded, “Oh, I know. I’m never going to marry him off.”

“_Hey_!”

Marinette giggled but Marleen nudged her, “So, how did you know the butterfly was purple?”

Marinette crossed her arms and looked away, “In Paris we deal with them a lot. They’re called Akumas.”

“So the bright light-”

“Was from our local hero. She fixes all damages caused by Akumas.”

“Ah, the Ladybug chick. Saw her when Tess went crazy.” Marleen sighed and rubbed her arms, “It scared the hell out of me. I didn’t know where they were, I didn’t know what happened to them. If it wasn’t for Batman they’d have a criminal record-”

“I’m so sorry. If I knew this would happen, I would’ve never sent in an essay.”

Marleen waved her hand dismissively, “Jason’s right. You didn’t plan this. I just- I need someone to be mad at.” Marinette smiled and held her hand out. Marleen shook her hand, “Alright, truce. Only because Jason seems like less of an asshole and I’m choosing to think it’s because of you.”

The two looked over and noticed Jason being ‘_overpowered_’ by the two boys. Marinette snorted, “He’s awesome.”

Jason looked up and pointed at her, “So you admit it!”

“Never said I didn’t, Jason.” Jason grinned before getting up and setting both of the children down beside Marleen.

Marleen hummed, “I will say this. My boys get dragged into it again, I won’t hesitate to knock you, Jason, that ladybug chick, or anyone else out.”

Marinette laughed nervously and took a step back, “Noted.”

David whined, “So now you gotta report back to Batman?”

“Yup! See you guys later okay?”

“Okay! Bye!” David was more enthusiastic, but Jacob seemed sadder to see them go. Jason ruffled his hair, forcing out a smile as they started to walk away from the door.

Marleen called out to them, “Don’t be strangers, okay? I promise I won’t punch you!”

Jason smirked, “I don’t believe that for a second, Marleen! See you later!” Marleen waved them off before closing the door. “Good kids.”

“Great kids.”

“Jacob had a huge crush on you.”

“Shut up.”

“Damian has competition.”

“_Stop_.”

“Gotta let him know about this. Big brother stuff. You get it.”

Marinette lightly hit his arm, “Jason, _no_.” She sighed and stretched, “Looks like we have another lead.”

“What do you mean?”

“The Akumas are traveling through the vents. No wonder we can’t pinpoint them. They’re traveling in the ship’s best blind spots.”

“Right.” Jason hummed, “So that means they could be coming from anywhere.”

She shook her head, “Not necessarily. All the Akumas were above deck and they akumatized the victims too quickly. They wouldn’t be able to travel through the vents that quickly unseen if they were below deck.”

“So whoever’s behind this is above deck. Makes sense. So who’s above deck that knows how to navigate the vents?”

“No, no. The Akumas would navigate them on their own. Hawkmoth wouldn’t need to lead them anywhere.”

“So anyone above deck that knows about the vents. Great. Narrows that down.” He thought for a bit before sighing, “No wait, that actually does narrow it down to about half the population on the ship. Given that most of the Akumas are on or near the main deck, I’d say they’re on or above deck too. Probably the first two floors.”

“That narrows it down further.” She nudged him, “Hey, you are smart.”

“You realize I was trained by Batman. I’m impulsive, not dumb.” Jason grabbed Marinette’s shoulders and pulled her into a side hug, “You want to be our new Robin? You seem smart enough?”

“Damian would be furious.”

“Damian would _love_ to see you in his costume.”

Marinette blushed and looked away, “Speaking of ‘love’, what did you mean before?”

Jason cringed, “Nothing. You were just so happy, I just figured-”

“We’re in a good place.” She laughed and admitted, “I told him I love him though, but I doubt he’d ever tell me.”

Jason paused and registered this new information in his brain. Curiosity overcame him, “What did he say back?”

Marinette groaned, “He didn’t say anything!”

Jason was disappointed, “Note to self; kill Damian.”

“No! I’ve kissed him like once!”

“Really? Jesus you guys are wholesome. Fine. Once you get that second kiss, his ass is mine for being stupid.”

“He’s not stupid.” She mumbled to herself, “Not all the time.”

Jason rubbed her arm, “Your boyfriend is an idiot. What are you going to do?”

“He’s your brother.”

“Gives me even more of a right to call him stupid.” Marinette laughed, being an only child she was always surprised at how ruthless siblings could really be with each other. Jason was glad they were back on track, but they didn’t have enough time left.

He could hear Bruce’s voice echo in his head and his question held more and more weight each time: ‘You’re really going to rope her into this?’

It was something Jason didn’t think they’d need to worry about. A summer fling was something he didn’t think would ever be in the cards for his emotionally constipated brother. Yet, here he was listening to Marinette admit her feelings for Damian. It really hit him that this would be a more permanent problem once Damian confessed his own feelings to Bruce. When Jason told Dick and Tim, they had conflicting reactions.

Tim was already upset they knew their secret identities, but he expected to just leave the class behind forever after the trip. He was ready to keep this as a memory as a safety precaution. Dick was more optimistic and brought up Clark and Lois. Dick didn’t want to throw this all away when this is the most significant growth Damian has ever displayed. It caused a pretty heated argument and left everyone going to bed angry, but there wasn’t a clear answer.

“Hey, Marinette. Did you think this through?”

“Think what through?” She texted someone on her phone and made a right in the hallway. He could tell they were heading towards the computer room.

“This. With Damian. With us.”

“I did.”

“And you’re not scared.”

“I’m terrified.”

“And you’re still going to do it?”

Marinette bit her lip and clutched onto his arm, “Honestly, I can’t imagine what it’s going to be like without you guys around. I’m not looking forward to the end of this trip.” She took a deep breath and sent him a look full of determination, “Still, I’m not going to give it all up because I’m scared.”

Jason smiled and squeezed her body, “That’s what I like to hear. You’ll be a Robin yet.”

Marinette shook her head, “I’m not going to be a Robin.”

“You can’t be a horse girl superhero your whole life.”

“_Jason_-”

“I mean Gina would never approve of something so lame.”

“Grandma would be proud of me kicking butt.”

“True.”

“Still, Marinette you could seriously get hurt. Alya, Nino, Adrien, Chloe, everyone could get hurt if anyone found out you guys knew us.”

“We all know that. We all don’t care. I think being chased down by a supervillain every week for two years does that to you.”

Jason frowned, “When this is over, I don’t have to be anywhere. You want me to stay in Paris and help out? You’d have to introduce me to Ladybug and Cat Noir first.”

Marinette looked up, hopeful, “Really?”

“I might not look like it compared to my brothers, but I was still trained by the world’s greatest detective. I could help and I’m good in a fight.” Jason was glad he was the one who got to see this girl absolutely light up the room. She nearly jumped out of her skin, instead she jumped onto him. “Woah!” She wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his torso, “Hey-”

“Yes! Please, yes. Please.” The last please sounded so tired and desperate. He just adjusted her and held her as he continued walking. Sure, they got some weird looks by the few staff members that passed them by, but she held him so close. It reminded him of kids he’d save back in the day. They’d just latch onto him and only let go to latch onto their parents. This hold was only ever given by kids who were thoroughly traumatized, which only worried him further. Jason just patted her back and did his best not to jostle her on their way down.

The rest of the walk was comfortably silent. While holding a fifteen-year-old like a toddler wasn’t the _weirdest_ thing he’s ever done, it was something concerning. Jason wanted to ask more questions, but she just rested on him. He patted and rubbed small circles onto her back the rest of the journey to the computer room. By the time they got to the room, he wondered if she fell asleep on him. Her body heat was high and she was relaxed, but the plea made him wonder just how bad it got in Paris.

He opened the door and gave the people inside a small wave. Tim just looked concerned and confused while Adrien walked over and held his arms out. Jason set her down in his arms and realized she actually did fall asleep. Adrien sighed, “Aw man, she was probably up all night thinking.”

“About what?”

“We’re having a debate. We’re good, but I’m just not on board. She’s been trying really hard to convince me though.” Adrien rubbed his cheek against her head and set her down in a chair, “Did you figure out anything?”

“Yeah, a lot actually.” He walked over to the computer and pulled up the ship’s blueprints. “The Akumas are traveling through the vents to avoid detection. I’d say they’re somewhere above ground on the first two floors. That narrows it down pretty well, doesn’t it?”

“It does.” Bruce hummed, “Let’s try to do a sweep of the area first thing in the morning. Having the kids around might work in our favor. The staff thinks they’re just weird teenagers and stopped batting an eye.”

“I mean they’re not _wrong_.”

Bruce looked around, “Where’s Alya and Chloe?”

Jason shrugged, “Interrogating Damian.”

“And Dick and Nino?”

Tim held up his phone, “Trying to save Damian.”

“Ah.”

“From what I hear, it’s not going well.”

Adrien smirked, “Well, at least he’ll die happy. He made up with Marinette.”

“He did? That’s good to hear.”

Tim smirked, “Be careful, you sound relieved.” Bruce just smiled as he looked over the blueprints. “What are you thinking?”

“I’m thinking that we’ll start in the residential wing. No one is allowed in the rooms without the residents’ consent. There are no cameras in the rooms. Perfect hiding place.”

“Now we’re getting somewhere. Finally. We might be able to get this guy before the end of the trip.”

Jason snorted, “And Damian can finally get a second kiss.” The three guys snapped their heads to Jason and he just nodded. “My reaction exactly.”

“Oh jeez, for a playboy’s son he has absolutely no game. You’ve taught him nothing.” Bruce glared at Tim who simply motioned towards the sleeping girl, “Try to tell me he’d score a kiss from anyone but Marinette. You can’t. That girl was his only chance and he was smart enough to take it.” Bruce initially shook his head before shrugging and nodding in agreement.

Adrien sighed and leaned on the wall, “So we have a plan. Should we go save Damian and find Staller?”

“Staller?”

Tim stretched and got out of his seat, “His niece’s memorial is tomorrow. She would’ve been 26 that day if it wasn’t for the accident. We couldn’t find the pictures so we’ve been brainstorming all night. We pulled it through in the end and made a pretty good gift. Also, we took a bottle from your office.”

“What was that?”

“Nothing.”

Adrien looked over at Marinette before decided to just lift her into his arms, “How did she die anyway? I know she was young but no one ever talks about it.”

Tim frowned and walked towards the door, “Let’s go find Damian.” Adrien wasn’t the best at reading the room, but when it came to loss he might as well have been reading a book. Her death was a sore spot and he wasn’t about to push that despite not understanding why.

Jason walked over and crouched down, “Put her on my back. I can take her.”

Adrien nodded and positioned her in a way she wouldn’t fall once he stood up. “Do you need anything else from us, Bruce?”

“No, that should be all. I’m glad to hear you all made up.”

Adrien smiled and waved as they left the room. He looked over at Tim, “So where are we heading?”

“Up. They’re in Alya’s room.”

“Ten bucks says they put him makeup and a dress.”

“Twenty says he likes it.”

Adrien chuckled, “Guys, be serious. Fifty says Chloe used Queen Bee’s venom on him.”

“Oh, no. That’s a suckers bet. She obviously did.”

“Yeah, I’m out.”

Adrien pouted but soon grinned, “Tim, do you have the present?”

“I can go get it once we’re above deck.”

Jason hummed, “Hope the old man likes it.”

“It’s a thoughtful gift made by his friends. He’ll love it.”

Tim looked over at Adrien as they walked up the stairs, “How’d your mom die?”

Adrien flinched and shook his head, “She didn’t _die_; she disappeared. No one knows where she went or what happened to her.” He tapped the railing and his smile held no warmth, “I want to think of her as alive and happy. Where ever she is.” Tim patted his back and Adrien shrugged, “So Staller will like it. I know it.”

“Way to go, Tim.”

“Shut it.”

“It’s okay, guys. Really. Let’s just go make sure Marinette still has a boyfriend.”

Jason adjusted his grip on Marinette as they continued up the floors to the residential wing, “He still didn’t tell her.”

Tim groaned, “I’m not surprised but I’m still disappointed.”

“Tell her what?”

“Did Chloe ever talk about a conversation between Bruce and Damian?”

“No.”

“Then don’t worry about it.”

Adrien pouted and looked over at Marinette, “You know she really loves him.”

“We know.”

“I don’t really like it.”

Tim’s sarcasm hit Adrien like a bat to the back, “Really? Couldn’t tell.” Adrien nearly stumbled and looked up at Tim flustered. Tim just chuckled at Adrien’s expense.

Adrien sighed and said, “At school, Marinette was the first friend I ever made. I think I always had a soft spot for her and it’s hard to ignore that.”

Jason asked, “So now what’ll you do?”

“Nothing. We talked and the feelings are more out of loyalty than anything. She loves Damian? Well, I’ll be there to claw his eyes out if they get into another fight.”

Tim was blunt when he said, “We’d probably help out.”

Adrien chuckled, “That’s terrible! You’re brothers.”

“That means nothing. I’ll punch him if you ask nicely.” That made Adrien bark out in laughter. Some passengers looked over at them, but they focused more on Jason carrying Marinette than the laughing blond.

Adrien took a deep breath and wiped the corners of his eyes, “Okay! Okay. I’m good. I’m good.”

Tim grinned as he continued up the stairs, “Nice to see you in a good mood, Adrien.”

“Thanks.”

“Aw, you guys bonded without me? Rude.”

“Says the guy carrying the girl he met a few weeks ago.”

Jason didn’t have a retort for that. It was true, he knew he liked Marinette after reading her paper. The sister thing started as a joke, but after realizing Gina was her grandmother it was like a switch. Suddenly, this girl was family; not just a girl his brother liked. She murmured something incoherent into his shoulder and he just quietly shushed her. If Adrien was right, she’s probably been stressing over things since their fight after Tess was Akumatized. The night before that was probably the last good night’s sleep she had. The fact that Marinette felt comfortable enough to fall asleep on him, it was a testament to how close they got. Sleeping made you too vulnerable. Too open. She trusted Jason. He wasn’t going to take that lightly.

The three continued chatting, Jason did his best to give Marinette a smooth ride as they made their way to Alya’s room. Nino and Dick soon came into view and they noticed Nino knocking on the door. “C’mon Alya! That’s _enough_!”

They could hear girls giggling and nothing else. Dick ran his fingers through his hair and sighed, “We haven’t heard anything from Damian. I’m starting to wonder if they have him gagged.”

Jason rolled his eyes and stomped on the door, “Alya! Open the door! Marinette fell asleep on me and my arms are getting tired!” Marinette groaned in protest to the sudden noise and he continued to lull her back to sleep.

“Dude!”

“Guys, stay quiet. She’s sleeping.”

“You literally just tried to _kick down a door_!”

Tim pinched the bridge of his nose, “Do you seriously think that’ll-” The doorknob jiggled a bit and Alya cracked open the door. Tim threw his arms up, “Never mind. I know _nothing_.”

Jason turned around and Alya’s eyes widened, “Oh jeez, she really did knock out.” Alya opened the door fully and motioned them inside, “We could’ve done more with more time, but you guys seriously ruin the fun.”

The boys filed inside the room and looked around. It was a standard room and by the looks of it, her roommate was Juleka. The girls snickered and whispered to each other before shushing each other. Dick was the first to ask, “So where’s Damian?”

Alix didn’t hesitate to point at the bathroom. Jason set Marinette down on the bed and Dick knocked on the door. “Hey, you alive in there?”

“Yeah, yeah. Give me a minute.” Damian opened the door after a moment and Tim’s eyebrows shot up. “What?”

“You’re alive.”

“Shut up, Drake.” He walked over to the girls and took his seat next to them and leaned on the wall, “Anyways, next question. Rose, it’s your turn.”

Alya motioned towards the group and looked at the group dumbly, “Now will you guys stop ruining our girl time.”

Nino crossed his arms, “Why didn’t you answer us?”

Damian shrugged, “They told me not to.”

Dick perked up, “I’m in. I got stories to share about this dumbass.”

Alix snickered, “Perfect. I need more dirt.”

Damian rolled his eyes, “Oh really?”

Dick smirked and stood beside Mylene, “So when Damian was 12 he stole his father’s car.”

Alix snapped her head to Damian, “You stole his car!”

Damian glared at Dick, “Great. Way to tarnish my reputation.”

“I can do worse. When he was 13, him and his friend Jon-”

Damian lunged at his brother and slapped a hand over his mouth, “No! Stopping you right there! Any story with that idiot is bound to be a bad one!”

Rose raised her hand, “Aw, can I at least ask my question? I have some more.”

Jason walked over and pushed Damian off of Dick fairly roughly, making everyone tense. “I got a few questions too. I think the girls would enjoy this one too.” Chloe let out a soft gasp but didn’t intervene. Jason knew she knew, “Number one, you guys have only kissed once.”

“That wasn’t even a question.”

Alya looked surprised, “Really? Aw man, you guys are shy aren’t you?”

Jason shrugged, “Marinette won’t let me kill you until she gets another kiss.”

Damian rolled his eyes, “And why would you kill me?”

Jason hummed and held out two fingers, “Number two. So why haven’t you told Marinette you love her yet?”

Rose and Mylene both cried out, “WHAT?”

Adrien quickly jumped over to Marinette and covered her ears, “Guys-”

Mylene leaned towards Damian with an unusually angry face, “What do you mean you haven’t told her?”

Rose was just as, if not more, intimidating. “Don’t you realize how crucial that is? You have to say it!”

Damian put his hands up in surrender and glared at Jason, “Where did this come from?”

“Marinette told me you didn’t answer her when she told you she loved you. So I thought-”

There seemed to be an invisible snap in the room as all the ladies pounced onto Damian, yelling and scolding the poor boy. He must’ve sworn to be at their mercy or something because he could’ve easily fought them off. Yet, he took the shaking, hitting, pulling, and other abuse with a brave face. 

Dick leaned over to Jason and whispered, “Don’t you think that was a little mean?”

Jason shrugged, “I promised Marinette I wouldn’t kill him. This way I won’t have to.” Dick let out an exasperated sigh before looking over at the frenzy going on. He looked back at Adrien who seemed to struggle as he barely shielded Marinette from all the noise.

Dick tapped on Alya’s shoulder, “Hey, don’t you think this is a bit much? He’s not the type to say those kinds of things to anyone. Not even Bruce.”

“You can’t just leave a girl hanging like that! You have to say _something_ back!”

Damian pushed Rose back, clearly doing so without harming her, “I _did_ say something back! I asked her another question.”

Alya grabbed a pillow off Juleka’s bed and smacked him in the face with it. Chloe groaned, “Here I was, supporting you and standing in your corner, and you do _this_ to me? Do you realize how valuable an alliance with me is?”

Damian rolled his eyes, “I didn’t do anything wrong.”

Alix begged to differ, “You did everything wrong! I’m not even into romance and I know that!”

Juleka sighed and turned his head to face her, “You know, we’ll always look out for Marinette. Do we need to be worried about you?”

Damian shook his head free from his grip, “Of course not! I care about her a lot. I-” Feeling the room’s eyes all suddenly on him prevented him from finishing his sentence. He looked away and growled, “This is stupid. Everything was fine until you guys showed up!”

Jason blinked and poked his cheek, “Are you blushing?”

“You wish.”

“Oh my god, he is.”

“Bro, I can see the pink on his cheeks from here.”

“I’m going to document this and file it under the evidence that proves Damian’s human.”

Damian, much to his dismay, could feel the heat creeping up his neck. Damian looked away from the group, “You’re starting to frustrate me.”

Dick clapped, bringing everyone’s attention to himself. He cleared his throat and motioned to Damian, “While he may not say it, he shows it in other ways. Exhibit A, the kid shows human emotions.”

“Grayson-”

“Exhibit B, he doesn’t curse at us as much anymore. He’s gotten softer.”

“We’ll see whose gone soft-”

“Exhibit C, he’s here. Damian would’ve never come here and let you girls question him this much if he wasn’t serious about her.” Damian didn’t say anything to that comment, but the silence was enough of a response for the girls to back off. Damian straightened himself out and crossed his arms, the blush losing intensity but never truly leaving. “You guys want someone who’s outwardly lovey-dovey, but that’s not Damian. He shows it by just doing things and trying hard for people. He’s always been like that.”

Dick reached out and messed with Damian’s hair. Much to his amusement, Damian didn’t fight it. Dick sighed, “You love her, don’t you?” Damian smacked Dick’s hand away and looked to the ground. Dick chuckled, “God, you haven’t changed at all. You were the same as a kid too.”

The blush came back with a fury, “Shut up!”

Dick smacked the back of Jason’s head, “Hey, what the he-”

“That’s for putting him in this position, Jason. Yeah, it’s frustrating to hear that because we all love Marinette. Still, you know how he operates. He’s not normal.”

Damian grabbed the pillow out of Alya’s hands and threw it at Dick, “Aren’t you done yet?”

Dick caught it and smirked, “Yeah, yeah. I’m done.” Dick has known Damian just as long as Bruce does, considering the time they spent together as Batman and Robin he’d argue he’s known him even longer. He’d like to think he’s the closest to him out of everyone in the family and he wouldn’t be wrong. Damian may never actually state the words ‘I love you’, but it doesn’t mean the feelings aren’t there. “I love you too, Damian.”

“You are so full of yourself, Grayson!”

Adrien sighed and shrugged, “On that note, I think it’s time. Chloe, can we continue this another time?”

Chloe groaned and looked at the group, “Interrogation over. Same time tomorrow?”

Damian’s eyes widened, “I’m not off the hook after that?”

Mylene shook her head, “Oh no, not yet. We still have a lot of questions.”

Rose stood up and stretched, “That was fun! I can’t wait for the next session.” She giggled and leaned towards Damian, “I guess you can be romantic without words, huh?” Damian rolled his eyes and gently pushed her face away.

Damian let out a long groan got onto his feet. He looked over to the figure on the bed and finally realized it was Marinette. He scrunched up his nose and walked over to her. “She okay?”

“Yeah, she knocked out on me on our way back to the computer room. We have some news.”

Alya and Chloe looked at each other before looking at the rest of the girls. “Hey, we need to talk. Do you mind?”

Juleka sighed and nodded, “Yeah. Yeah. We’ll go hang out in the arcade. Looks like it might rain today anyway.”

Alya smiled and said a quick thank you as they waited for the girls to leave before continuing further. “Well, I learned something new today. I’d say today’s interrogation was a success.” Damian glared at her but she just laughed it off, “You can’t touch me.” Damian looked away, frustrated because she was absolutely right.

Adrien closed the door behind the girls as the last one filed out. Adrien then motioned for Jason to explain what he found. Jason just repeated himself while petting Marinette’s hair, “The Akumas are traveling through the vents to avoid detection. Based on how quickly they move, I’d say they’re somewhere above ground on the first two floors. We’ll start a sweep tomorrow.”

“Wow, you figured that out on your own?”

“Marinette was the one who thought to talk to the first Akuma victims and the kids were good. Marleen almost punched us though.”

Dick rolled his eyes, “How many times are you going to bother that woman?”

“She’s a good time when she isn’t in a bad mood.”

Damian yawned and hopped up onto Alya’s bed, careful not to move Marinette too much. “You’ll have to do that without us. We’re spending the day with Staller.”

“You do that anytime you’re on the boat.”

“And I call the man if I’m not.” Damian shrugged and asked, “Did you finish the present?” Tim nodded and Damian didn’t miss a beat, “Then go get it.”

Tim grumbled and left the room. Damian looked over his phone, making small notes and messaging someone. Nino was the first to point out, “You seem more, what’s the word, mellow? You seem mellow.”

“I’m in a good mood.”

Alya snorted, “I wonder why?”

“Shut it.”

“Never.” Damian looked over the girl and stretched, “I’ll take her to her room after Tim gets back.”

Chloe exaggerated her words as she poked fun at him, “Oh, staying in a girl’s room! Damian Wayne! Looks like if he’s not going to say it, there’s one way you can show-“

Damian glared at her, “Keep it up and I’ll tell Adrien that you-”

Chloe quickly ran over and clasped her hands over his mouth, “I can and will use my venom on you!”

Damian pushed her hands away and looked over at Adrien, “She feels bad for losing the balloon war.”

Adrien seemed a bit relieved, “Is that it?”

Chloe blushed and waved her hand dismissively, “Yeah! Yeah! That’s it!” Damian pinched her cheek, “Hey! What was that for?”

“For putting your hands on me.”

Alya groaned, “You guys are worse than my sisters.”

Jason shrugged, “I’m just glad to see you guys getting along again. Seriously, you guys brought the mood down.”

Damian frowned, “I didn’t mean to.”

Nino walked over and patted his back, “Aw, don’t feel bad. No one understands girls. A fight or two is inevitable.” Alya pinched his ear, “Ow! Tell me I’m wrong!”

Alya let go and shrugged, “You’re right. Arguing is bound to happen. That’s just normal.” Nino held out his fist towards Adrien who reluctantly fist-bumped him.

“You’re so dumb.”

“You love me.”

“Yes, but at what cost?”

“Adrien, we made this agreement years ago. You can’t get rid of me now.”

“Nino, I would never.”

“Bro.”

Dick laughed and leaned against Juleka’s bed, “You guys seriously make me question how far your relationship goes.”

Alya shrugged, “You get used to it. They’ve been inseparable since they met. They started laying it on thick a few months ago.”

“Why?”

Nino hummed, “I don’t know. Just felt like it. Adrien?”

“Yeah, no real reason. Just kind of happened. I think it’s hilarious.”

Chloe looked over her nails and said, “I think it’s annoying.”

Alya smirked, “I think it makes for good blackmail down the line when you guys look back on this and cringe.”

“Bold of you to assume we’d ever stop.”

Jason shook his head and laughed, “I forget you guys are teenagers sometimes. We’ve all been acting so serious lately. When was the last time we were all together like this?”

Dick thought for a moment, “The sleepover. Or that first stop before Lucas.”

Alya cringed, “I still feel bad about how that day ended.”

“Water under the bridge, Alya.”

“In this case, water under the boat.” The group groaned and Dick threw a pillow at Adrien.

It took a little while but once Tim finally returned, he walked into the room confused. Adrien was being held back while the girls beat him with pillows. Damian and Dick stayed back and watched the scene unfold while Marinette seemed to have just woken up from her sleep. Tim handed Damian the bag and asked, “What-”

Nino called back from over his shoulder, “We’re beating out his sins.”

“Puns are not sins!”

Chloe frowned, “Adrikins, you need to pay for that last one.”

“All I said was-”

Alya smacked him with her pillow, “Don’t repeat it! It was terrible!”

Adrien laughed, “You guys just can’t handle my comedic charm.”

“Oh please, you’re worse than Dick.”

“I’m funny!”

Damian looked over to his brother and deadpanned, “No, you aren’t. Women just laugh at your jokes because they think you’re attractive.”

Dick smirked, “I am attractive.”

“But you’re not funny.”

Dick suddenly pulled Damian into a chokehold, “What’d you say?”

“Grayson!”

“I’m not what?”

“Get off!”

“I’m sorry. I don’t speak loser.”

“_Dick_!”

Tim sighed and rubbed his temples, “I didn’t drink enough coffee for this.” Damian bit Dick’s arm, making him pull back and flinch.

“_Damian_!”

He ignored him, “Marinette, you want to go to your room? Staller’s probably working until later tonight. We can catch him in the den and give him our gift.” Marinette yawned and nodded.

Adrien looked over to Marinette and pleaded with her, “You can’t just leave me here!”

“Alya, let him go.”

“In a minute.”

Marinette shrugged, “You heard her. In a minute.” Adrien’s mouth hung open and stuck out his tongue in protest. Marinette yawned, “We’ll talk later okay?” She tapped her earrings and he nodded. “Good luck.”

Adrien sighed, “I’ll keep you in my will.”

Marinette giggled and grabbed Damian’s arm. He didn’t outwardly express anything, but his body visibly relaxed seemingly without him noticing. Marinette waved as they left the scene behind them. She looked at Damian and noticed something was different. “Are you blushing?”

Damian froze, “I most certainly am _not blushing_!”

Marinette put her hands up, “Okay! Okay. Sorry. The girls didn’t talk about anything weird did they?”

Damian visibly gulped and looked at his phone, “Nothing of interest, but we have another session tomorrow.”

Marinette leaned over to get a better look at him and pouted, “You’re a bad liar.”

Damian pinched her cheek, “That’s my line!”

Marinette flinched but giggled all the same. He let go of her cheeks and then hesitantly leaned towards her. By the time she realized what was happening, he placed a gentle kiss on the cheek he pinched before continuing down the corridor. Marinette could feel the heat coming up her neck like a forest fire. “Hey! You can’t just do that!”

He stopped, but he didn’t look back at her. Instead, he just held his hand out and waited. “Now you can have Jason come after me later, if you want.”

Marinette was confused at first before realizing what the comment referred to. She sighed and ran up to him, clasping onto his hand as soon as it came into reach. For a moment, they didn’t say anything. She was always used to grab his arm and that was that. This was new for both of them. Despite the greater distance it put between them, it felt more intimate. Still, neither pulled away. Instead, they walked towards the main deck to get to Marinette’s wing.

Marinette let out a half-hearted laugh, “I can’t believe I fell asleep on Jason.”

Damian expressed his own concern with her current state, “I have to admit. I’m surprised too. You sure you’re okay?”

“I’m just tired, I guess.” Damian frowned and she nudged him, “Hey, things are looking up. We’re together again, our friends are getting along, and we’ll spend time with – Oh! Staller!” Damian looked up and noticed the old man walking around on deck and Marinette didn’t hesitate to run up to him. Staller seemed to be in a haze as he looked over the water. Luckily, he was pleasantly surprised at the girl jumping up to hug him and he reciprocated.

Damian chuckled and jogged over to the two, “You’ll break him.”

“He’s sturdy.”

“Not as much as I used to be.” Staller rubbed his shoulder and rolled it to adjust it. “Although, I’m happy to see you two. I haven’t had the best company lately.”

“What do you mean?”

“Nothing to worry about.” Staller brushed back her bangs and smiled at her, “What brings you here?”

“We have something for you to make up for the photos.”

“You didn’t have to-”

“We wanted to.” Damian held up the bag and smiled, “We need to take responsibility.”

Staller sighed and patted the boy’s shoulders, “You do this every year. I still don’t understand why.”

The question made him apprehensive but he played it off well, “I respect you, old man. Least I could do.”

Staller grabbed the bag, “We’ll open this later. I assume it’s for Anne?”

“It’s for Anne.”

Staller nodded and looked over the railings. It was a sober moment to watch him look down at the water, thinking, until he finally asked both teens a question. “Would you like to walk around for a while?”

“Don’t you have work?”

“My co-captain needs to pull his own weight. He’ll be fine.”

Marinette snorted, “Lazy, huh?”

“Exactly.” Staller motioned for them to follow him as they wandered the ship.

Damian poked Marinette’s arm and asked her, “You up for this?”

“I’ll be fine. That was a good power nap.”

“You’re pushing it.”

“Probably!” Marinette smiled and pleaded, “Come on! I’ll be fine.” Damian’s shoulders fell and Marinette took it as a sign of defeat. “Let’s go.”

Damian groaned as he let himself get dragged away by the girl. He wasn’t annoyed, quite the opposite. Falling into their little trio made things feel like they were going back to normal. He did his best to ignore growing the pit in his stomach to enjoy himself with these two people, but he knew it wasn’t going to ever go away. It’s been there for a long time and the reason he’s so close to Staller in the first place.

Damian watched Marinette and Staller bond over a casual conversation. Marinette managed to rope him into it and suddenly he found himself between the two. Being made fun of. Being laughed at. Having conversations about nothing but things they noticed around the ship. Everything was calm for the first time in a while. Damian wondered what’d happen next.

He understood his father’s concerns, but seeing her in action put him at ease. Yet, he doesn’t get the feeling she understood just how bad things could get. She’s been facing magic, he’s been facing monsters. She can erase the damage, he has to live with it. Still, despite that, she still has a lot of the same insecurities. It’s probably more intense for her; she’s been on her own for the most part. He had networks, she had a partner who didn’t know her identity until a few weeks ago.

Damian continued to laugh along with Staller and Marinette, but it wasn’t entirely heartfelt. Probably because it wasn’t anything he was used to. This was a new world he usually hid from; forever in the shadows and watching over it. However, Damian found himself being yanked into the sunlight. Marinette was gentle in her approach, and he didn’t struggle, but he wondered how long it’d take before he was burned.

As they spent more time together, he started to notice things about Staller that made him anxious. There was a faint scent of alcohol on his breath, his speech showed that he was present in the conversation but his eyes screamed vacancy, and he still didn’t even peek into the bag. Marinette hasn’t noticed anything or she’s ignoring it.

He looked over the rails and noted how restless seemed compared to the other days. He looked up and the sky was grey, making it darker earlier. He looked around the deck and people seemed to be dressed in sweaters for the rare storm. He wondered if they should head inside but Marinette pulled him in a new direction and into a new conversation. Damian looked around, giving general comments and paying half a mind to his friends. Something was keeping him on edge, despite wanting to relax with the only two people on the ship that have broken through to his walls. Looking back at Staller, Damian noticed the man wilt as he did his best to keep a brave face in front of Marinette.

Later into the night, the storm was definitely starting to roll in. Most of the people left the deck to their room, but there were still a few who chatted amongst themselves. Damian felt his phone vibrate and noticed it was from his father. He looked around and noticed his father on an upper level looking down at the deck. Dick, Adrien, and Alya seemed to be discussing something next to him before noticing he was looking in their direction. They waved and Damian waved back before reading his father’s message. It asked why he was still up; he didn’t even notice they were close to hitting midnight. He looked back up to see his friends running away, most likely to meet them.

He looked over at Marinette and Staller, still enthralled in their own world. He hated being the person to throw them out of it. “Hey, guys. It’s getting late.”

Staller looked at his watch and blinked, “Oh. I guess we did lose track of time.”

Marinette giggled and leaned against the railing, “I guess. Should we go back to the den?”

“The den? You two need to go to bed.”

Marinette whined, “Staller, what about tomorrow? We don’t want you to be alone.”

Staller smiled at the kids and opened the bag, “Let’s take a look at this stuff.” He pulled out a bottle and smiled, “What’s this?”

“There’s more in the bag.”

Staller handed Damian the bottle before reaching further inside. He pulled out an envelope and looked confused, “You’re giving me money?”

Marinette rolled her eyes, “Just open it.”

Damian didn’t realize he was going to be nervous as he waited for Staller’s reaction. He could feel his body tense as he opened up the envelope and pulled out the photos inside. Both teens waited with bated breath as they waited for Staller to say something. Anything to tell them they did a good job.

Staller flipped through the photos and leaned against the railing. His eyes waters and a smile threatened to form on his face as flipped through them. Suddenly, the lights in Staller’s eyes were back. Staller struggled to keep his voice even before finally asking, “What is this?”

Marinette was cautious when reaching out to him, almost worried the man would collapse if she wasn’t careful. She put her hand on his arm and smiled, “We got a hold of Anne’s wife. We asked her to send over some photos. Tim printed them out for us.”

Damian nodded and surprised himself at how soft his voice was when addressing the old man, “We know it’s not the originals and some of those photos aren’t the same as the ones we lost, but we hoped it would help.”

Staller continued flipping through, looking for something until he finally stopped on one. Damian peered over to look at the picture and felt relieved. It was arguably his favorite one; with him, Anne, Anne’s wife, and his brother. That was the one he showed him when they first got close. Based off of Marinette’s face, he must’ve shown her the same one.

Marinette looked up at the captain, “Do you like it? We also looked into the whiskey bottle Robin broke and managed to find something similar in Bruce’s office. Just something to-” She squeaked as Staller pulled both kids into a bear hug. It took Marinette a second to realize what happened but soon sunk into the embrace. She looked over to Damian and sent him a small smile; a quiet victory for the two. Staller pulled away and laughed, “You – You’re good kids.”

The guilt ate at him, but he wanted to live in the moment. Right here, right now, things were good. Damian suddenly felt a swell of emotions and Marinette was seconds away from probably crying. Staller gulped and looked behind the two, “I think your friends are here.” The two teens turned around and saw Dick, Adrien, Bruce, and Alya watching from the entrance to the main atrium. They seemed just as moved by the scene as they were. Marinette sent over a bright smile and a thumbs up, “He liked it!” Alya cheered and Adrien and Dick fist-bumped. Bruce simply watched the two teens proudly, but Damian knew better.

Call it instincts, maybe a dumb hunch, but something told him to keep looking. Someone was watching them and it put the hair on his neck stand up. Damian couldn’t find anyone out of place, but still worried. Damian looked back at Staller and noticed something in his eyes that put him on edge. Staller still smiled, but it was fake. Damian’s been around the man long enough to tell. The light that was there when he first looked through the photos was suddenly gone. Staller held his hand out to Damian and motioned to the bottle. Damian stepped back and suddenly felt defensive, “Why don’t we go to the den first? Crack open the bottle there and I can pour you a glass. We’ll talk more.”

Marinette looked up and nodded. The wind started to pick up around them and Marinette shivered, “Looks like it might rain anyway.”

Staller slowly nodded, “Right. Go on ahead. I just remembered why I came out here in the first place. I’ll be quick.”

Something in his voice must’ve tipped Marinette off because she suddenly looked concerned, “Staller?”

Staller handed Marinette the envelope, “I’ll be quick.” He gently pushed the two forward and waved at Bruce. Bruce waved back and turned to take a call. Marinette looked over at Damian, confused. Something didn’t feel right. They looked back and Staller just continued to look over the waves. Another gust of wind caused Marinette to tense up and she quickened her pace, doing her best to get out of the cold. Damian was slow to follow but he looked down at the bottle in his hands. He made it nearly halfway to his friends when he noticed they’re faces morph.

Time seemed to slow down as he took in everyone’s reaction. Alya was first. She was laughing at Marinette’s weakness to the cold but suddenly went wide-eyed and stared directly behind them. Adrien and Dick started yelling something, but Damian couldn’t make it out over his heartbeat. His father’s made his heart drop; Bruce dropped his phone and suddenly pushed himself forward. Damian and Marinette looked back and realized what was happening.

Damian felt the bottle slip through his hands as he quickly turned and started running. He saw Marinette in his peripheral vision running beside him and reaching out her hand. The sight of Staller climbing over the railings was almost unreal. Damian realized what that look was about earlier, why he was outside on deck earlier. This was his plan all along.

The shattering of the bottle suddenly made time move forward. Staller didn’t even react to the screaming, nor did he look back at them to acknowledge it. He just looked down and stepped off. Damian took out his grappling gun and he could hear Marinette scream, “SPOTS ON!”

It was instinct and pure panic. Both jumped off the railing and dove for Staller. As soon as they grabbed his hands Damian shot the gun. The rope sprung up and both Bruce and Dick were there to catch it. Both let out a small grunt at the weight they were pulling while Ladybug wrapped her yo-yo around the railing. The sudden stop caused her to let out a small whimper. Damian could feel his shoulder burning and tingling, but his focus was on the man barely hanging on.

“ARE YOU CRAZY?”

“STALLER, PLEASE, WE CAN TALK ABOUT THIS!”

Staller looked up at the two and started to almost analyze them. Damian cursed to himself once he felt the rain start pouring over them. Staller didn’t even register it. Instead, he laughed, “I knew you were Ladybug!”

Ladybug breathed heavily, “Really? We can talk about it! Just – Just grab my arm so you don’t slip!”

Staller didn’t respond. He looked over at Damian and got a good look at the grappling gun, “I know that thing. You were the Robin that ruined my den.”

Damian nodded doing his best to ignore the numbing sensation in his shoulder, “Yeah, old man! Come on! You can yell at me all you want! Just hold on!”

Staller smiled and shook his head, “I’ll be quick.”

“NO! No! Staller, **_please_**!”

“Come on, Staller! Who else is going to go to take care of all those ships, huh?! What about Anne?! You think she’d want this for you!? No!”

Ladybug shivered and her hair stuck to her face as the rain only got more intense around them. She was losing her footing against the ship’s side. She tried to pull Staller up, but if she even jostled him he slipped further out of her grip. “Staller, please listen to us! We’ll help you! We can call your family! We’ll call doctors! Just please hold on to me!”

Staller looked almost calm. The storm around him meant nothing. Maybe it was the lightning, or maybe it was the water in his own eyes, but Damian saw something flash over Staller’s eyes. Ladybug must’ve seen it too because she suddenly shrieked, “STALLER, NO!”

Staller let his hands go limp.

Damian’s seen people die before so he knew what their eyes looked like. When he was little, the eyes really stood out to him. Living people always have a glimmer, dead people have a dim glassy glow to them that tell people no one’s home, and then there’s those who die. It’s like a light just goes out with the final breath. As Staller fell out of their grip, he saw the lights just evaporate before he even hit the water.

“NO!” Ladybug used the ship’s side to propel herself off and dove into the water after him.

“LADYBUG!” Damian cursed under his breath. He wouldn’t be able to withstand the waves with his shoulder like this. He knew it was dislocated. He looked up at Adrien and barked at him, “GO AFTER HER! CAT NOIR! GO!” Adrien seemed to snap out of a shock before he nodded. Dick and Bruce started to pull while Adrien took out a container. He picked out the blue piece of cheese and threw it into the air. Plagg quickly flew out of his shirt and ate it, transforming, before Adrien jumped onto the railings.

“PLAGG, CLAWS OUT!”

Cat Noir dove into the water while Damian struggled to get over the railings with his brother’s help. Damian slipped and landed on his side. The sharp pain went through his body and he writhed while doing his best to keep from crying out. He could hear Alya running around the border of the deck, “I don’t see them! I don’t see them!”

Dick pulled Damian to his feet where he noticed a small group of the remaining staff members that didn’t go inside when the storm came overhead. Tess was among them and she just looked at the rope and then over the railing. Tess blinked, snapping out of the initial shock, and motioned for them to follow her. “The ship’s moving! If we’re going to see them, we have to go towards the back!”

Damian didn’t hesitate to chase after her. He held his shoulder and cursed each time he slipped. The four of them crashed into the railing and looked around. Alya was starting to hyperventilate, “I don’t see them! MARINETTE! ADRIEN!”

Tess screamed and, after looking down, he understood why. The dark water coming from the back of the ship suddenly gained a red hue. Damian felt sick, “No. No. No.” He kept looking around for a sign of something, anything. Alya looked like she was going to be sick as she covered her mouth and shook her head. He walked over and shook her shoulders, “They’re magic, right?! They’ll be okay, right?!” Alya didn’t seem to register his words at all.

Dick snapped his head to his brother and wiped the water from his face, “You knew?! Damian, you knew!?”

“Shut up!” Damian ran over to the railing and looked around one last time. His vocal cords hurt just as much as his shoulder did when he cried out, “ADRIEN! MARINETTE!” Bruce walked over to his son, reaching for him before Damian slapped his hand away. “No! No! They’re fine! MARINETTE! ADRIEN!”

“Damian!”

“Father, _they’re fine_! MARINETTE! ADRI-”

It was sudden, but the green stood out almost immediately once Cat Noir broke the surface of the water. He was holding Ladybug in his arms, unconscious. Cat Noir started waving desperately and Dick pulled out his own grappling gun and aimed it at the hero. Cat Noir starting swimming towards the rope, careful to keep Ladybug’s head above water.

Bruce took the chance to grab Damian's shoulders and turn his body to face him. Damian flinched and hissed at the pressure on his shoulder, but Bruce continued to apply it. “What were you thinking!? Damian, you are supposed to report everything! _Everything_!” When Damian didn’t answer, Bruce shook him. “Damian!”

Bruce watched as his son retreated so far into himself, any expression or emotion escaped him. Bruce found himself yelling at a complete and utter husk as his son detached himself entirely from the situation. Damian only looked at Bruce’s watch and licked his lips, “Its Anne’s memorial.”

Bruce didn’t know how to respond. He heard a loud ‘_splat_’ sound next to him and looked over to see Cat Noir heavily breathing over an unconscious Ladybug. Ladybug de-transformed and the kwami wilted next to Cat Noir. Alya ran over to her and put her ear over Marinette’s mouth, “She’s not breathing! GUYS!”

“Move!” Dick pushed Alya out of the way and started performing CPR. Tess ran over to check Cat Noir, but Cat Noir kept his focus on his partner. “Bruce!” Bruce looked over to Dick who just scolded him, “Get a gurney!”

“I got it.” At least the Robin part of still him kicked in. It was a shred of himself that he held onto that kept him tethered to reality. Damian ran off and Bruce just glared at his son.

Marinette suddenly starting coughing up water and turned over to throw up whatever was left in her system. While the others fussed over her, Bruce simply walked over to Tess and held out his hand. “Give me your phone.” She didn’t argue.

He dialed a contact he knew by heart and when the sophisticated old voice answered Bruce felt somewhat relieved. At least one thing stayed the same. “Hello? Wayne residence. This is a private line.”

“Alfred. We’re going to need to do some heavy damage control out here. We’re still 10 hours away from the nearest port and we need authorities now.”

“Master Bruce? What on earth happened?”

He looked over the scene before him and scowled, “All hell broke loose.”


	21. Deadhead

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the beginning of the end. Act 3 starts here.

Damian groaned and rubbed the back of his head after the impact left him dazed. Dick was too busy doing damage control, but he wouldn’t be much help either. Tim was interrogating him alongside Bruce. Despite all the yelling and berating, his mind went to the infirmary. He wondered how Marinette and Adrien were faring.

Tim knocked him back into the wall and brought Damian back into the moment, “Well?”

Damian didn’t have the strength to put any venom in his words, “You weren’t even there. Why should I talk to you?”

“Don’t get smart! You know exactly what you did!”

“Then I don’t have to answer any questions now, do I?”

“Damian, enough!” Bruce took Tim’s hands off Damian’s collar before turning back to his youngest, “You are-”

“In so much trouble. I know.”

Tim growled, his frustration only growing with each word that came out of his brother’s mouth. “Then why did you do it? Huh? What the hell is going through your head right now? Huh?” When Damian didn’t respond immediately Tim tried to shove Damian again.

Bruce held him back, “Tim!”

“No, he should’ve said something! We’re dealing with _their_ supervillain on the ship! We could’ve all been on the same page and dealt with it by now! Then, we could’ve actually focused on Staller!”

“_Enough_!” Bruce pushed Tim and watched as he stumbled backward. “You’re just looking for an excuse to be mad at him! We’re all on edge-”

“Edge? _Edge_? Staller just died, Marinette and Adrien are Parisian heroes, and Damian, _your son_, is keeping secrets! Yes, Bruce, I’m on **edge**!”

“Step outside.”

“What?”

“Step outside, Tim! You are clearly out of control right now!”

“And I have every right to be! Do you realize how dangerous this all is?”

“Of course I do, but also listen to yourself! The captain just died!”

“And whose fault is that?”

“Not mine!” The two looked over at Damian who shook his head. His voice flattered as if he was failing to convince himself, “It isn’t my fault! I didn’t-”

Looking at his sons, Bruce has two routes. Tim wanted repercussions for the clear violations of trust as well as someone to blame for the tragedy. Damian needed reassurance, guidance, and some strength. Batman or Bruce? Hero or father?

Dick barged into the conversation before he could pick either side, “Tim, shut up already. You aren’t helping.”

“Really?”

“Yes really!” Dick walked past the two and handed Damian a towel, “You’re soaked. Go to the infirmary and check on Marinette.”

“He can’t just go!”

Dick turned to Tim and sent an unusually intimidating glare, it caught Tim off guard. “Yes, he can. Tim, I get it. I’m mad too but the fact of the matter is Staller just threw himself overboard and we all watched him get chopped up by the propellers. Our questions can wait until tomorrow, right now we have to clean up this whole mess.”

“A mess that _he_ helped cause!”

Dick’s voice boomed in the small room and made everyone flinch. “Damian is not the enemy here! Staller didn’t through himself overboard because of Damian, okay? He had his demons, but Damian was not one of them!”

Tim took a deep breath as he looked between the three men in front of him. He ran his fingers through his hair and cursed to himself before taking out his phone. “Go! Okay! Go! I’ll take care of the footage. Just go.”

Damian didn’t wait to run out of the room. Dick turned to Bruce and shook his head, “I didn’t take you as the type to hesitate. You should’ve stepped in sooner.”

“I was going to-”

“Going to doesn’t cut it. Right now he’s the same as that kid who lost his parents in that alleyway. Both of them are. I know he messed up but right now we have to make sure those kids stay safe through all of this. If we don’t get a grip, an Akuma or the press could get to them. Honestly, I can’t tell what’s worse.” Bruce didn’t respond. Instead, he took a phone call. Dick figured as much.

It didn’t take long for Damian to reach the infirmary. He passed by gossiping staff and guests all the same. Despite all the commotion, he heard nothing from inside the room. The door creaked as it was slowly pushed opened and Damian went inside. The rest of the group were just standing around. Adrien was in one of the beds, Chloe drying his hair gently with a towel. Nino stood by, rubbing Adrien’s back and looking at his feet. Adrien was shivering.

Alya and Jason played the same roles with Marinette. However, she was still. Alya looked up to him and before Damian could say anything she pulled him into a warm embrace. Damian wasn’t expecting it. He wasn’t expecting Chloe and Nino to join her either. It was a stark contrast to what he was used to. Damian didn’t know how to respond, so he stood still as the others squeezed him. Chloe was the first to leave, only to come back with a towel and placing it over his head.

“Here.”

Alya and Nino pulled away only to look him over. Alya was also soaked from the rain, but she pushed through it. The bags under her eyes betrayed her façade of being unaffected by the entire event. It hasn’t even been half an hour. Alya patted his face with the towel, “How are you doing, bird boy?”

Damian grabbed the other end of the towel and pressed it against her cheek, “By the looks of it, better than you.”

The corner of Alya’s mouth perked up before she pushed his face away. Alya’s smile dropped once she turned back to Marinette. She walked over and carefully pulled Marinette’s face up, “Hey, Damian’s here.” Marinette looked up at Alya but her eyes were dead. Alya’s voice was soft but Damian could tell she was trying extremely hard to keep herself together. “Marinette, Damian’s here.”

She didn’t even react and Damian didn’t blame her. He looked around, “Where’s Tikki?”

“What?”

Marinette’s eyes flickered over to him. Even Adrien lifted his head up to look at him. Damian continued to call out, “Tikki? Tikki, c’mon. We have to talk.”

Adrien shook his head, “She’s not going to come out.”

“Why not?”

“Look at her ears.” Alya stepped aside as Damian moved towards her. Jason watched as Damian moved the towel and pushed her hair back only to reveal bare ears.

Damian rubbed the empty earlobe, “Where are your earrings?” She didn’t answer him, instead she looked to the ground.

Jason sat onto the bed next to her and pulled her into his lap, she was limp as he placed her head on his chest. He rested his chin on top of her hair and rubbed her arms, “You’re like ice.” Jason remembered seeing her like this once before with Dick. She cried her eyes out with Dick over the first Akuma attack, he can’t imagine fallout was going to look like after this. Her arms dangled and she was lifeless in his arms. “Hey, you’re not dead. Pull yourself together.”

“Jason!”

“This isn’t over. Not by a long shot. Marinette, you still have to find whoever is causing the Akumas. Do you really think Staller is going to let you sit on your ass when you have a job to do? You’re Ladybug, which I knew all along. You suck at hiding this kind of stuff.” Jason nudged her, “C’mon. You know Staller would yell at you if he saw you like this. Especially after that awesome gift you gave him.”

Marinette’s arm twitched and he continued, “Besides, you think Gina would let you stay like this. You know what she did whenever I got depressed? She made me eat this nasty candy she always had on her. Old stuff.” He shook his head and made a gagging noise, “It was gross. She gave some to you too didn’t she? My god, I don’t know how you downed that stuff. I’m gonna say this; if your family’s sweets taste anything like that candy then your family doesn’t deserve to have a bakery.”

Marinette’s eyes looked up at him, though the expression didn’t change her eyes held something to them. Life. “Oh, getting irritated? I bet, I’m trying my hardest here.” Chloe bit her lip as she failed to hide the smile forming on her face. Adrien and Nino snorted while Alya and Damian watched the interaction. Both were hopeful of its outcome. Jason smirked, “And you’re just letting me go on and on and on. I can go all night.”

Damian rolled his eyes and sat next to them on the bed, “He’s right. He’ll go all year if you let him.”

Jason smiled and nodded, “See. Your boyfriend isn’t a total idiot. He knows.”

“Who are you calling an idiot?”

“You.” Jason grabbed Marinette’s hand and held it up so that she was pointing at Damian, “See? She agrees.”

“Jason, stop messing with her.”

“I’m not messing with her! Jeez, you can’t take a joke.” He held the back of her hand against his forehead and let out a dramatic sigh, “I’m surrounded by hard-asses.”

Alya shook her head as she giggled, “I mean, it’s hard to compete with ‘Mr. My Dad is Screwing Batman’.”

“Fair.”

Adrien rolled his eyes, “I still can’t believe you said that.”

“Believe it.” Jason was about to say more when he felt Marinette squeeze her hand around his fingers. Jason looked over her expression; though unchanged she was staring at him. He almost broke through. “What? Got something to say, Ladybug? Oh, wait! What’s that stupid nickname you use?”

Adrien scoffed, “None of my nicknames are stupid.”

“Yes. Yes, they are. Now, c’mon. What was it?”

Nino jumped onto the bed to sit next to Adrien as he thought for a moment, “My Lady? Princess? Bugaboo?”

Jason snapped his fingers, “Bugaboo! That one! So, you got something to say, _Bugaboo_?”

Chloe made a fake gagging sound, “That’s awful.”

“Is not!”

“It is, Adrien. Or should I say, _Cat Noir_? Seriously, when were you going to tell me? I’m your bro! _For life_!”

Adrien flinched, “I’m not even supposed to know Marinette is Ladybug. I didn’t find out until right before this trip.”

Alya furrowed her brows and asked, “What do you mean?”

Adrien played around with the ring on his finger and sighed, “Plagg, stop hiding. Just come out already.” A moment passed before a black figure came out of Adrien’s shirt and sat on his lap.

“We’re breaking so many rules, kid.”

“Rules? What rules?”

Adrien scratched behind Plagg’s ear, “We’re going to lose our miraculous.”

Chloe’s hand jerked up to touch her comb, “What?”

“If anyone finds out about our identities, we lose our miraculous.” The room was quiet as Plagg purred at Adrien’s touch. Adrien looked up at Damian and hummed, “If she told you she was Ladybug, she was willing to risk it all wasn’t she?”

“She didn’t-“

“Doesn’t matter. You know. She let you know.” He looked to the corner of the room and Damian turned his attention only to see both earrings on the ground. No doubt thrown. Adrien could barely keep his voice from wavering, “We’re going to lose everything.”

Damian felt the full weight of the information she gave to him fall onto his shoulders. He looked back at her and moved her bangs out of her face, “That’s why you didn’t want to tell me. I already knew and you still insisted otherwise.”

Alya put a hand over her necklace and sighed, “Well, we might as well let them all out. C’mon Trixx.”

“Wayzz, you too.”

“Pollen, come out.”

Three kwamis came out of hiding and floated beside their holders. Damian and Jason took in each of the different kwami’s features. Jason held out his hand without thinking, like a kid trying to entice a bird to land on their palm. Trixx was the one to curiously go over and land on it. “So these guys give you powers?”

Wayzz fluttered around before landing on Marinette’s lap, “Ladybug, this is against the rules.”

“Whose rules?”

“The Master’s. These rules have been in place for a very long time.” Wayzz looked back at Marinette and realized she wasn’t even registering where she was let alone his reprimands. He sighed, “She’s one of the best Ladybug’s we’ve ever had. How Tikki allowed this to go so far, I’ll never know.”

Trixx flew around Damian’s head, “From what we heard, we gotta blame this kid.”

Damian swatted the kwami away, “It’s not like I meant to-”

“No, lovers never do. Do they?” Wayzz floated up to caress Marinette’s cheek, “She was supposed to be the next master. She would’ve been great.”

Jason gave Marinette a small squeeze, “If she’s so great then there has to be an exception-”

“No there isn’t.” Plagg looked over to the trio and shook his head, “For as long as I can remember, ever since the rules were put into place, there hasn’t been an exception. Princess over there might’ve been able to change that if she had just met you after the Master gave her his position.”

Damian furrowed his brows and looked over Marinette. So many things must be going through her head, no wonder she’s retreating. He reached out and grabbed her free hand, rubbing his thumb over her knuckles. Marinette responded with another gentle squeeze. “Now what do we do?”

“We need Ladybug.”

Damian nodded and jumped off the bed. He walked over to pick up the discarded earrings. They were so light yet they carried so much weight. He turned back to Marinette and brought them over, “Missing something?”

Marinette’s eyes caught the earring’s gleam and for the first time since he arrived, she finally revealed an expression. Terror. “NO!” She shoved Damian away and retreated further in Jason’s hold. She covered her ears and shook, “I don’t want it! I don’t want it! I don’t-”

Jason rubbed her back and shushed her, “Hey, hey. It’s okay. You’re okay. Look at me. Look at me.” Jason leaned back to get a better look at her face, “Hey, Marinette. It’s okay. Look at me. We’re not going to put them on you if you don’t want them.”

She turned her head to face him and gave him a look that seemed like she just now registered he was in the room. Marinette shook her head, “I don’t want it. I don’t-”

“I know. I know.”

Marinette was extremely close to going into full-blown hysterics. Damian shoved the miraculous into his pockets and walked over to her. He hated that she flinched, “Hey.” Marinette looked confused as if she just realized he was in the room too.

Marinette reached out to touch his face, “Damian?”

“Yes?”

She looked around the room and noticed everyone in it, human and kwami. “Wayzz? Pollen? Trixx? What are you all doing out? You know you’re supposed to stay hidden.”

“That’s not the only thing that was supposed to stay hidden apparently.” Alya walked past Damian and cupped Marinette’s cheek, “You know you owe me so much.”

Marinette placed her hand over Alya’s and asked, “You’re not mad?”

“Oh, yes I am. In fact, I was about to tell Damian and Adrien about your hidden schedule board.”

Marinette sat up and covered Alya’s mouth, “No! No! No, you don’t. No! I already owe you my firstborn. What else can I give you?”

Alya smirked and moved Marinette’s hands, “A lifetime of free interviews and photo ops for the Ladyblog _and_ Instagram.”

“Done.”

Alya grinned and kissed the top of her head before rubbing her arms, “You didn’t talk, you didn’t move. You can’t just turn into a zombie like that.”

“Zombie?”

Alya pulled back and looked over her best friend, “Yeah. After Dick did CPR-”

“Dick did CPR?”

Damian frowned, “Marinette, what’s the last thing you remember?”

Marinette shook her head, “I don’t – I don’t understand.”

Alya pet her head and squeezed her shoulders, “What’s the last thing you remember, Marinette?”

Marinette looked at her feet, “I don’t-”

“Just try, okay? Please?”

Marinette closed her eyes, “I remember waking up in Alya’s room. I remember seeing Staller.” She smiled, “I remember walking and talking with him. I remember Damian was there too.” It soon turned into a grimace, “I remember giving the gifts and then-”

She opened her eyes and shook her head, “He jumped.”

Alya grabbed her hand and squeezed it, “That’s right.”

Marinette looked up at Damian, her tone growing more unstable as she continued. “We jumped after him. I turned into Ladybug. I went in after him after he fell.”

Damian nodded, “Yeah. You went in after him. Cat Noir took you out of the water.” Marinette’s eyes watered and she murmured something. “Marinette?”

Tears fell from her eyes and her voice cracked, “He looked at me.” Her breathing hitched, “Damian, he looked at me right before he was pulled in.”

“Marinette-”

“I didn’t see anything.” Her shoulders shook, “I didn’t see anything in his eyes. He just looked at me and-”

“Marinette, that’s enough. It’s okay-”

“He looked me in the eye as he went in.” She covered her eyes and clenched her jaw, “I saw it.” She shook her head, “I saw it then there’s nothing. Just, black.”

No one moved or spoke. No one outwardly reacted, not even the kwamis. She uncovered her eyes and leaned back onto Jason’s chest. She sniffed and wiped her cheeks. Licking her lips she looked over at Damian, her question coming out as a whisper. She didn’t dare try harder, “Can we go to the den?”

Damian opened his mouth to respond but instead chose to nod. Damian grabbed her hand and carefully helped Marinette off the bed and towards the door. No one said a word as he guided her out. Once the door shut behind them, Jason was the first to break the silence.

He fell back onto the infirmary bed and rubbed his eyes, “Jesus Christ.”

“Jason?” He cracked open an eye and realized Adrien was the one addressing him. Adrien brought up a question he had asked hours earlier, “How did Anne die?”

Alya sat next to Jason and patted his chest, “It’s her memorial. Please tell us.”

“Alright. Alright.” Jason sat back up and looked down at his audience. Three kids and their kwamis; not who he was expecting but just as curious. Jason licked his lips, “There’s a reason Damian made it a point to get close to the old man, okay? But it wasn’t his fault. He’s a good kid.” He could feel himself getting cottonmouth and he shook his head, “It was an accident.”

He remembered the phone call he got that day from Dick. The memory put him on edge. “I wasn’t actually there, but I saw the aftermath. As far as I know, this is how the story goes, okay?” The kids nodded and he pinched the bridge of his nose, “Okay. So a few years back Bruce, Dick, Damian, Staller, and Anne were in Gotham, right? It’s a nice day. Quiet. Really hot, though. The old man was supposed to meet her downtown. He sent her a fat check for her birthday present, right? Staller liked the idea of her having something to hold.”

Jason paused for a moment and scowled, “She went to the big bank nearby their meeting spot to cash it in. Honestly, I think it was a spur of the moment thing. Probably thought she could do some shopping with Staller after their coffee. From what I heard, Staller asked her to wait with him a while. She said she’d be quick. She should’ve waited.” He sighed, “Robbery starts and everyone in the building got taken hostage. Batman and Robin were on the scene. Assholes got panicked and set off some explosives. The building caught fire and it spread fast even with the sprinklers going. Probably from the heat.”

He tried to focus on Dick’s plea to watch the news. “I remember there were some casualties and the guys focused on getting everyone out. I don’t really know what happened next, but I remember the news report. Robin seemed to hear something and went back inside. He was gone for a while. Nine minutes passed and Batman was ready to go in there himself. Robin came out, he wasn’t wearing his mask to help with the smoke. He was limping, but he brought out a kid.”

He remembered changing the channel and waiting with bated breath for Damian to leave the building. He remembered feeling relieved for a moment when he saw the kid come out with another survivor. Jason remembered how he scanned the area before looking at the envelope in his hand.

Jason licked his lips, “Damian doesn’t talk about it, but he saw Anne in there. As soon as he passed off the kid he made a beeline for the old man. Staller was in the crowd waiting to see if his niece came out. Instead, Robin handed him back the check.” Jason looked over his group and asked, “Have you ever seen a grown man just fall apart? The news camera was on him for a whole minute, just at Robin’s feet, before Batman pushed the camera away.”

He ran his fingers through his hair and let out a long breath, “The old man never forgave himself or Robin for that matter. I think Damian feels guilty too. Staller happened to be part of the company at that point but Damian was the one to look into his past in the navy and promote the guy to being our main captain. Damian allocated funds for the captain’s den. Damian did his best to make up for it, but you can’t erase something like that. It wasn’t either of their faults, but they carry it with them like it is.”

Chloe gulped and wiped her eyes, “You know, I always wondered why Damian and Staller were so close. It makes sense now.”

Nino took off his cap and frowned, “Jason, are we going to keep in touch after we leave?”

“Why do you ask?”

Nino shrugged, “It just – It feels like we’re losing everything. Staller, our friends, time, the miraculous, everything. What’s going to happen next, dude?”

Jason opened his mouth to answer but Chloe interrupted, “Don’t sugar coat it.”

Jason closed his mouth and hummed, “I don’t know. Bruce might want to cut all contacts with you for knowing about our identities. For safety. Especially if you lose the miraculous, we can’t have a bunch of kids stick around us. In or out of the costume. You’re a liability.”

Chloe pushed herself off the wall and walked over to Pollen, “I’m not letting anyone take away my miraculous. I’ll have daddy ship them off to Timbuktu if they try.”

Adrien snorted and shook his head, “Chloe, I don’t think that’s our call to make.”

“And why not? Your cat-”

“Plagg.”

“_Plagg_ said she was supposed to be the next guardian. We can change the rules and if we can change the rules doesn’t that mean the old rules are just dumb? Why can’t we know about each other?”

“Because it’s dangerous-”

“It’s more dangerous going off alone than with teammates you trust!” She pointed at Jason, “They do it! Why can’t we?”

Adrien looked over to his kwami, “She has a point.”

Wayzz shook his head, “You forget that our enemy can get into your head. Under Hawkmoth’s influence you wouldn’t hesitate to go after each other.”

Jason raised his hand, “We deal with enemies like that a lot.”

“Yes, but it’s not an everyday occurrence. If he were to akumatize any of you, not only would he have your miraculous at his disposal but _you_ at his disposal.” Wayzz flew over to Alya, “Imagine this: You know who Ladybug is. She’s your best friend. You get akumatized. Now Hawkmoth knows you know who Ladybug is and knows you are someone who can get close easily. Imagine waking up after it’s all over knowing you were just used to defeat Ladybug and Cat Noir. Imagine waking up and realizing you hurt your best friend all because you knew her identity.”

Alya didn’t know how to respond and Wayzz frowned, “Information is an asset, but too much is dangerous. If you didn’t know you wouldn’t have the chance to go after her in her civilian form, then Ladybug has a fighting chance to defeat you in a fair fight.”

Chloe huffed, “Imagine this. We are fighting against Hawkmoth and some strong Akumas. Cat Noir gets hit with his own cataclysm. If Ladybug failed we would have no way to check on Adrien to make sure he’s okay.”

“That’s not a practical situation.”

“Practical? That happened! Adrien got hit with his cataclysm! We don’t have a way to check on each other. No way to support each other. How do we keep tabs on each other? How are we going to find Hawkmoth if we can’t even talk to each other and exchange information? Especially since we don’t always have our miraculous on hand!”

“Chloe!” The girl flinched and turned to Adrien. He shook his head, “Both have its pros and cons but it’s not like we have a choice anymore.” Adrien addressed Wayzz as he continued,” Like it or not, we know. We can’t change that. We have to just work with it.”

Wayzz sighed and flew back over to Nino, landing on his shoulder defeated. Chloe, on the other hand, crossed her arms and walked over Adrien. “I know you too well. You probably begged Ladybug to tell you.”

“Yeah, I did. But I realized I didn’t need to know after a while.” His smile was bitter, “It just made things worse, honestly. I can’t think of good things that have happened since I found out. Sure, we had some fun times on the ship, but I didn’t need to know she was Ladybug to have them. Everything revolving around the miraculous and our identities, especially when Damian was thrown into the mix, has just made things so much worse.”

Chloe frowned and crouched down in front of him. She grabbed his hands, “You’re going to get sick. Go change.”

Adrien nodded, “Okay.”

Nino brushed himself off and held his hand out to Alya, “You should change too.” Alya grabbed his hand and jumped off the bed. He looked over to Jason, “What are you going to do now, dude?”

Jason shrugged, “By now Bruce, Dick, and Tim are probably doing their best to talk to staff and cops. I should go help.”

“You want me to come too?”

“No, no. Chloe-”

“I can help.” She smiled and pointed at herself, “You think this girl hasn’t dealt with bad press before? Ha! Give me 10 minutes with the witnesses and you’ll have nothing to worry about.”

Jason did his best to keep from laughing, “Is that something to be proud of?”

“Do you want my help or not?”

He made a so-so motion with his hand, “Eh.”

“Jason!”

“Okay! Okay. C’mon. Let’s go, Queenie.”

“What about Marinette and Damian?”

Jason turned to Adrien and waved his hand dismissively, “Give them time. They were the closest to Staller. I can’t imagine what they’re thinking right now.”

Meanwhile, the two in question were quietly making their way to the den, their pace getting slower as they got closer to the doors. Marinette left a bit of distance between her and Damian and Damian didn’t want to push her. Staff was bustling around them as they tried to keep the peace after their captain’s death. Neither reacted to them. Marinette gripped the towel around her and shivered, but she pushed forward to the den.

Going up the last flight of stairs, things were quiet as they got away from the main decks and residential halls. Walking down the last corridor, Marinette trailed her fingers on the wall. She thought about Staller’s morning routine. When did it go downhill? Or did he wake up already knowing it was his last day? She closed her eyes and forced herself to think about something else.

Damian looked up at the door and unlocked it, “I’ll find you a blanket.” She didn’t answer. He pushed opened the door and looked around the room. He noticed little things out of place that proved the den was lived in. The mostly empty glass of alcohol on the table. A different coat on the coat rack. A couch pillow that had fallen onto the floor. Staller was probably here this morning.

He stepped aside to let Marinette come in and she scanned the area. Damian closed the door behind her and she robotically walked over to the couch. She sat down and dropped her head into her hands. Damian walked over to a drawer and pulled out a throw blanket. He put it beside her and pulled his towel off his shoulders. “I’m going to take down your hair.” It was more of a warning than a request. He tugged the rubber bands before putting the towel over her head to dry her hair. “You’re going to get sick, you know.”

“He’s right.” Both froze at the third voice. The two looked up to the bar and a familiar girl came out from behind the bar. “We can’t have our superhero getting sick now can we?”

“Lila?”

“Who else?” She sipped on her water and held up the glass, “To Anne and Staller.”

Damian glared at her but did his best to keep calm, “You’re not allowed in here.”

“Of course I am. Staller was pretty lonely after you two started to avoid this place. He practically begged me to come in and talk.” She set down her glass, “That was a lie. I noticed him by himself and you guys always stuck around so I wanted to know what was going on. But you guys would’ve known that if you got over your stupid fight and visit him.”

Marinette frowned and leaned back, “What do you want?”

Lila shook her head, “Nothing. I heard the staff say Staller was dead and I came up here. He wasn’t here and given the commotion, I guess it’s true.” She moved her hair away from her face, “I was supposed to stay here and he was going to tell me about the ships since all the photos disappeared.”

Marinette wondered just how lonely he had to be to ask for her company. It made her feel guilty. “The ships?”

“Yeah. He was an old man, but he had some interesting stories.” She made two new drinks and brought them over to the two, “Here.”

Damian was skeptical but took the drinks, “What’s your angle?”

“Staller just threw himself overboard and you’re going to ask that? I don’t like you but I’m not heartless. Jeez. It’s water, by the way.” Damian handed the glass to Marinette who muttered a quick “Thank you.” Lila looked around the room and crossed her arms, “So?”

“So what?”

“So tell me about him. Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do when someone dies? I know this was Anne’s memorial, but considering what just happened I’d say talking about the captain is a good enough second.”

Damian shook his head, “You’re the last person we want to talk to.”

“I don’t care what you think of me. This isn’t about me.” She walked over to the shelf and looked over the boats, “It’s about them. So are you guys going to tell me? Or are you just going to sit here in the dark all night?”

Damian growled at the girl but stopped when Marinette stood up. She walked over to Lila’s side and pointed at the bottle, “I think Annie made that one right before she left for school. She added her school’s logo on the bow.”

Lila got onto her toes and squinted, “Oh yeah. That looks pretty good.”

“I thought so too.”

Lila pointed at a bottle on a higher shelf, “And that one?”

Marinette shook her head, “I don’t know. He didn’t tell me about that one.”

“Annie made that when she was 14 for Christmas.” The girls turned to look at Damian as he straightened himself out. He walked over and stretched until he had the bottle securely in his hands. Damian carefully brought it down and held it up to Marinette, “The colors are Christmas themed. She handed this to him in a crate that’s normally used for old scotch bottles. Apparently, Staller looked disappointed when he opened it because he said she smacked his arm.”

Lila smirked, “I would’ve guilt-tripped him.”

Marinette rolled her eyes but failed at hiding the smile forming. “Sounds like you. Sounds like Anne too.”

“How do you know what she’s like? You never met her.”

Marinette hummed, “I know her through all the stories he told us. I know she was creative.”

Damian put the bottle back on the shelf and smiled, “She had a smart mouth. She was also just smart.”

Marinette thought some more before smiling, “She got married young to her high school sweetheart.”

Damian looked around the shelves some more before grabbing a bottle, “This is the bottle from after the wedding.”

“Right. The sails were made from her wedding dress.”

“Really?” Lila went over and pressed her face against the glass, “How can you tell?”

Marinette snorted, “You’ll dirty the glass that way.” Lila frowned and pulled away, but Marinette waved her hand as she giggled. “We can always clean it. It’s fine.”

Damian watched as Lila nudged Marinette before moving onto another shelf. Marinette continued to laugh at Lila’s awkward reactions. Lila’s nervous ticks were all present; playing with her shirt, her hair, her bracelet. It was a bit different this time though, she wasn’t as aggressive when fidgeting with it, she barely touched it compared to other times throughout the trip. Damian didn’t know what to think of her, but he wasn’t entirely convinced. Still, seeing Marinette smile after what she just saw helped her earn her time in the den.

Marinette pointed at another bottle, “Damian, do you know the story behind this one?”

Damian walked over and picked up the bottle, “Annie and Staller made this one together when she was 16. You can tell which parts are Staller’s because they’re messed up.”

Lila’s eyes widened and scolded him, “That’s harsh. He’s dead!”

“No, it’s not. He even told me that. See how that mast is crooked? He did that.”

Marinette bit her lip, but the smile still came through. She covered his hands with her own as she pulled the bottle up to her eye level. She smiled as she took in all the imperfections and gently squeezed his hand against the glass. “These bottles tell his story just as much as they tell hers.”

Lila rolled her eyes and turned away from the two, “When you two stop being sick, you want to get back to the storytime? I’m only going to play nice until I leave this room.”

Damian quirked his brow, “This is nice? My dogs are nicer to trespassers.” Marinette laughed aloud at that comeback. She covered her mouth and Damian did his best to stifle a chuckle threatening to come out. He placed the bottle back onto the shelf and looked around, “That one is from after she got engaged. Staller sent her some flowers. She had them pressed and glued them onto the sails for decoration.”

He pulled it down and held it out to the girls. Marinette motioned for Lila to take it, which she did cautiously. Lila held it up to her eyes and hummed before holding it out for Marinette to see. Marinette smiled when she saw the flowers. Lila handed the bottle back to Damian, “So there’s one for every year?”

“One or more. It was Anne’s hobby. Give her any reason and she’ll make them. Staller would tell her he had a good day and she’d make him a new one.” Damian looked around the shelves for a moment before picking one, “Like that one. Nothing too special about it. Just a ship in a bottle.”

“Don’t say that.” Marinette stood back to get a better look at the ship, “They’re all special. They’re all made by her. For Staller.” She looked at Damian and hummed, “Honestly, it sounds like something I would do.”

“Make ships?”

“Make things for someone I care about.” Marinette laughed and a light blush dusted her cheeks, “I made a bunch of things for Adrien. I made him a scarf, a few hats, a sweater-”

“You made him a sweater?”

Marinette nodded and nudged Lila, “You almost stole it.”

Lila frowned, “I would’ve stolen it if it wasn’t for that Akuma.”

“_Solitaire_, right. She was a sad Akuma. She almost didn’t make it to her family and she thought they forgot about her.” Marinette leaned against the back of the couch, “She was tricky.”

“So, _Ladybug_, how’d you do it?”

Marinette flinched, “I’m just Marinette, okay?”

“Not from what I saw.” Lila walked past her to the shelves on the other side of the den. “’Spots on’, was it? A little on the nose. I expected something more clever from you but beggars can’t be choosers, I guess.”

Marinette shook her head and pushed off the couch, “Staller once said we’re like ships without bottles.”

Lila scrunched up her nose and asked, “What is that supposed to mean?”

Damian hummed and ran his fingers over another ship before taking it off the shelf, “This one was one of the last ones she made. It was for his 62nd birthday. She even named it after him.”

Marinette looked at it and noted the ship’s name, “It still says S.S. A. Staller.”

“Of course it does. Their parents had a trend of giving them ‘A’ names.”

Lila asked, “What was the captain’s name anyway?”

Damian put the bottle back on the shelf, “Abraham. From what he said his mother was from Paraguay, but she immigrated to the states in the late forties after World War Two. She got married to a man in the military and took his name. They figured more ‘_American’_ names would help their sons find work.”

Lila shrugged, “Probably worked.”

“Lila!”

Damian held his hand up and shrugged, “She’s right. Back then the law allowed people to be racist. On paper, putting less foreign-sounding names would’ve helped immensely. They were smart.”

“Or the system was dumb.”

“That too.”

Lila walked back over to the bar and poured herself some more water. She looked up at the two and asked again, “You still didn’t answer my question. What is it supposed to mean? The ship and bottle thing.”

Damian and Marinette looked at each other before Damian turned to Lila, “Do you remember a time when you realized the world wasn’t a magical place?” Lila nodded so he continued, “If you’re a ship, then that bubble you were in where everything was magic and fairies and roses was the bottle. But at some point you realize that the world can be rough and the bottle breaks. You’re stuck out on the sea on your own for the first time and you have to figure out how to stay afloat.”

Lila nodded and thought about his words before taking another sip. Damian could tell gears were turning inside her head, but he didn’t care to pry. She pointed at the two teens and asked, “So are you two floating?”

The pain held in the teens’ eyes was immense despite the lack of outward expressions. Marinette closed her eyes and took a shaky breath, “Lila, is there another bottle that caught your eye?”

Lila’s expression was strained before she looked at her bracelet. She twisted her wrist and looked at all the different butterfly charms. Damian watched her cover it with her hand and ask, “What are you feeling right now?”

“Lila-”

“Just answer the question.”

Damian grabbed his own discarded glass and walked over to the bar, “We can still kick you out. Don’t push it.”

“You didn’t even drink your water.”

“I know.” Damian set down the glass and leaned over the bar. He spoke in a low voice, “Now tell us why you’re really here.”

Lila looked him in the eye, “I already told you-”

“I remember what you said, but Staller doesn’t just let anyone in here. I’m going to ask you again, why are you here? Because, as you can see, neither of us are in the mood.”

Lila grabbed a rag from one of the drawers before she leaned over the bar’s surface, “Why don’t you tell us why you feel so guilty coming in here?”

Damian stood his ground but felt taken aback by the comment. “We couldn’t help him-”

“No. No. Not that. Every time you come to this place, you feel guilty. Why?”

His stomach churned but he continued to keep a straight face, “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Lila pushed off the bar, “Hey, Marinette?” Marinette turned to the two at the bar and Lila asked, “What are you feeling right now?”

“Feeling?” Lila nodded and Marinette looked to the ground as she thought about her answer. She frowned, “Why?”

“Are you both in on this? Just answer the question.”

Marinette rolled her eyes before looking back to the shelves, “I feel happy looking at these. I feel sad too because I know I’ll never meet their maker.” She paused before looking back, “I’m sad about a lot of things right now.”

“You’re feeling guilty too aren’t you?”

“Lila!” Damian pointed to the door, “That’s it. Get out!”

“No, I want to know!” Lila walked around the bar, trailing her fingers over the surface as she addressed Marinette. “I can tell. You’re feeling guilty. You’re scared too. Why?”

Marinette seemed surprised by the assumption but didn’t deny it either. “What are you getting at?”

Lila walked over to Marinette’s side and scanned the shelves, “You got really good at just turning your emotions off back home. It’s like you just went numb, but that’s changed since you got here.” Marinette began feeling the dread she normally felt around this girl and stepped away from Lila. Lila hummed and twisted her wrist around, giving them another good look at the bracelet and its charms. “I didn’t know why at first, but I figure it has something to do with your little boyfriend over there and his family. Everyone has just been so _emotional_ this trip.”

Lila tapped it as she continued looking for something and Marinette felt her breathing hitch. The pit in her stomach began growing and her heartbeat became more prominent. She was suddenly hyper-aware of her surroundings and looked around the room for some kind of explanation. She didn’t find one.

Lila finally walked over to a bottle and used the rag to pick up before placing it on the coffee table in front of the couch. “What’s the story behind this one?”

Marinette didn’t trust her own voice, luckily she didn’t have to. Damian spoke up, his tone was similar to one he used when addressing an enemy in battle. It only put her more on edge. “That’s the first one she made Staller. Be careful.”

Lila completely ignored the command, “You know, Staller always felt guilty coming in this den too. I always found it weird. I understood why he was sad, but guilty? But then it hit me. He had something to do with it.” She looked up at Damian and pointed at him, “So do you, don’t you?”

Damian stayed quiet, but the silence was suffocating. Marinette looked between the two and shook her head, “No. No! They didn’t-”

“Do you even know how she died? Did you even ask? Seriously Marinette, why do you think they never talk about it?”

Marinette’s mouth gaped open, unable to provide any answers to her question. She was getting nauseous as the tension only grew within her. Damian clenched his fist, “You don’t know what you’re talking about!”

“Really? You’re getting pretty defensive right now. Scared even. I’m right, aren’t I?” She looked to the bottle and hummed, “You talked about bottles before. Do you think Staller wanted to go back into one? I mean, after this trip I would love to go in one.” She looked to Marinette and motioned to the bottle on the table, “Wouldn’t you? I mean, you have been through the most on this trip.” She smiled and wistfully looked at Anne’s gift, “Just letting go of everything bad and just being in a world full of sunshine and rainbows.” She looked back to her bracelet and twisted it, “I bet in yours Staller would be there too.”

Marinette felt tears come down her face, a wave of sadness washing over her, but she couldn’t do more. She prayed the numbness would come back but Lila shook her head, “No. No. You’re not using that trick again.” She gripped her bracelet tight and Marinette fell to her knees feeling hysterical. She could hear a thud on the other side of the room and looked up, through teary eyes she saw Damian wasn’t fairing much better. He wasn’t crying but his breathing was becoming erratic.

Marinette looked to Lila who simply watched them. She looked down on them like an executioner looked down at their next victim; some pity, but no empathy or mercy. “I want you to know that I didn’t think he’d jump. I just expected him to get really depressed. Become some strong Akuma. I was shocked he jumped. I feel bad about that. You guys feel the way he did, but I can’t have you guys jump.”

Lila walked over to Marinette and yanked her to her feet without much effort. Marinette wished she could do something, but she felt so distraught she just let it happen. Lila roughly sat her in front of the bottle. She walked to the bar and dragged Damian over and sat him across the table. He put up more of a fight but her strength was unnatural and in his current state he wasn’t able to getaway.

“Touch it.” Neither moved and after a minute she slammed her hand on the table, “I said _touch it_!”

Damian glared at her, “I should’ve known you were an Akuma.”

“What?”

“You called her Ladybug, but I don’t remember seeing you when Staller jumped. I saw everyone on the deck. You were hiding, weren’t you?”

Lila frowned and grabbed Marinette’s wrist, “This is for your own good.”

“Was it you?” Lila looked to Marinette as she mustered up the courage to ask, “Were you the one sending out the Akumas?”

Lila didn’t answer right away. Instead, she grabbed Damian’s wrist and held both hands over the bottle. “I had an Amok too.” She dropped both of their hands and as soon as their hands reached the surface the bottle started to glow. Lila stepped back and watched as their bodies were slowly being dragged into the bottle.

She’d be lying if she said a bit of this wasn’t out of curiosity; she sent out the Amok before the Akuma. Lila was surprised at how well he resisted despite increasing his depression, but he jumped before she sent out the Akuma. She thought the Amok would come out when Staller died but it never did. She didn’t know what it would do, but after talking with the two teens it was clear. This wasn’t supposed to be a weapon; it was a capsule. Sucks; she wanted to see a Kraken.

Lila stepped back as the bottle grew with every inch it sucked in. Their survival instincts must’ve kicked in because even with focusing her powers on them they still struggled. Her powers manipulated the emotions of people in her proximity, but she couldn’t control her own. Otherwise, she’d kill the guilt of seeing the old man die by her hand. Realizing that these two were on the same route, she couldn’t take the same risk. She needed Ladybug and she wasn’t going to kill someone else.

Lila stepped back and looked at her bracelet. She had to give praise to Hawkmoth. Lila was the perfect Akuma; a silent agitator who could make strong Akumas out of thin air with her powers. Making people lose their temper, making people panic, making people cry; child’s play. Staller was her test to see how far she could take it. She truly regretted it.

The coffee table broke underneath them and the bottle landed with a heavy thud as the last bits of the two teens were sucked in. The bottle’s glow dimmed down and she realized it was almost half her size. Anne’s ship floated in the water the bottle now held next to two new ships.

If Lila could get Cat Noir, she’d be finished. It’ll be over. She closed her eyes and clenched her teeth. She deliberately made her breathing shallower and her eyes started to water. She was ready. Lila gave one last look to the Amok before running out. She sounded hysterical. Perfect.

“HELP! HELP! PLEASE! SOMEONE GET IN HERE!”


	22. Submerged

“Do you really think I’m letting you get away with that?”

“You can try to fight back, but I don’t think you’re _that_ stupid.”

“Oh? Stupid? I’ll show you stupid!”

“Who else would?”

“Will you both quiet down?”

“Or what?” Jason suddenly grabbed the back of Damian’s shirt and pulled him back off his chair. He pulled Damian into a headlock and proceeded to rub his knuckles into the teen’s head.

“Let go!”

“Oh, yeah. I’m shaking in my hood!”

“I swear to God I will break that hood! _Let go_!”

“Let him go, Jason.” The monotone voice cut through the chaos and Damian was unceremoniously dropped. Bruce rolled his eyes at his sons’ antics as he continued looking through the files in his hands. “Good job being gentle.”

“Ah. You noticed.”

“God, you are infuriating.” Bruce walked over and extended his hand out to Damian. Damian frowned, but accepted the help. The grip was cold and tight. “Father, what’s this about?”

“I thought we could all go on a bit of a vacation. I’ve pulled some strings, we’ll be gone for a few weeks.”

Tim crossed his arms and sat down, “Not that I’m not grateful, but where is this coming from?”

Jason smirked, “Yeah. Usually when you call us all here, one of us is dead or there’s a really big fight or-”

Tim groaned and waved his hand dismissively, “We get it.” 

“Father, if you haven’t noticed we aren’t exactly the type to go the beach or anything.”

Bruce closed the files and smacked it against Damian’s head, “Don’t get smart. I’ve made arrangements for us to leave for a bit.”

“Oh yeah. Leaving Gotham without a Batman is _so_ smart.”

“Duke and Cassandra owed me a few favors. Besides, are you all saying ‘no’ to an all-expense paid vacation?”

Jason stood up and held his hands out, “Woah there, rich boy. Don’t put words in my mouth. If you want to pay for my ass to be pampered, then I’m fine with it.”

Tim stretched and scratched the back of his neck, “Yeah, okay. I’ll come. You guys need me if something goes down anyway.”

“In your dreams. I’ll come but only if Damian does.”

“Damian?” Bruce looked over to his youngest and noticed him looking out a window.

Dick frowned and grabbed a pillow and chucked it at him, “Hey, we’re asking you something!”

Damian didn’t even look back to catch it. He looked tired, “I’m thinking about it.”

Jason scoffed at the audacity of his remark, “Damian, this is a vacation we’re talking about. Have you ever had one?”

“No, I haven’t.” His matter of fact tone left no room for doubt. Damian looked up at Bruce and hummed, “I suppose it’d be rude to say no. Thank you for the offer, Father. I’ll be sure to tell the Titans of our plans.”

Tim swirled the coffee in his cup and yawned, “Do you have to make it sound so serious?”

“Given our occupation, I’m inclined to say yes.” Damian tossed the pillow back at Dick, “Don’t base your decisions on me.”

“I’m just making sure you come along, Damian.” Dick smiled and looked the head of the group, “When are leaving, Bruce?”

“Ten days. Clean up any loose ends while you can.”

Damian nodded and headed out the door. Jason called out to him, “Hey, where you going?”

Damian pulled out his phone, “You heard Father. I’m tying up loose ends.”

Tim waved as he pulled out his laptop, “Don’t hurt yourself.”

Damian rolled his eyes before shutting the door behind him, “Whatever.” The sound of the door shutting behind him made his mind go hazy. While not new, the intensity was unusually high. Damian rubbed his temples and flinched.

He could still hear Tim through the walls, “So are we going to talk about him? He seems,” Tim paused and emphasized the next word, “_different_.”

“Yeah, his mood’s bad even for him.”

“Dick was the first to bring it to my attention which-”

“Which is why you suddenly want to go on vacation. I mean, that would work on a normal kid, but Damian? He’s-”

“He’s kind of a sociopath.”

He could hear a snap, “Exactly.”

“Guys, ease up. I’m worried about him. I helped Bruce come up with this and did my best to help make the necessary arrangements. Just go with it and play nice. I’m worried.”

“You? Worried? What else is new?”

“Jason, he does seem off.”

Jason’s sigh was clear through the haze, “I know.”

“So you’ll both come?”

“Yeah, yeah. We’ll come.”

Damian drowned out the rest of the conversation as his eyes got heavier. He trudged down the hallway as his limbs felt heavier with each step. Despite having Jon pulled up on his phone, he wasn’t able to press call. Despite falling forward, the impact never registered. He didn’t feel the impact of the floor, nor did he hear the ‘_THUD’_ of his body.

The next thing Damian could register was his alarm. He groaned and rubbed his eyes. Damian couldn’t remember the last time he was this groggy waking up. He looked at his phone and realized he slept in; an occurrence that, to his dismay, is becoming more frequent.

A knock at his door took away his attention, “How you feeling?”

Damian sat up and yawned, “What do you want?”

Dick smiled, “We find you passed out and that’s the first thing you say?”

“I passed out?”

“Yes.” Dick sat at the foot of the bed, “You freaked us all out.”

“So what? Do I have a fever or something?”

Dick shook his head, “Damian, I think it’s the stress.”

“The what?”

“The stress, Damian.” Dick motioned for Damian to sit closer to him and Damian begrudgingly complied. Dick looked him over and felt his forehead, “Have you been losing weight?”

“Grayson-”

“Answer me.”

Damian moved Dick’s hand away, “Not much.”

“_Damian_-”

“Well, as far as I can tell I’m not sick. I may have missed a meal or two but I haven’t had an appetite. Physically, I’m just a little tired but I should be fine.”

“And mentally?”

“Mentally?”

“Damian, c’mon. I need you to work with me here. You’re not acting-”

“I heard you talking with the others before. I heard what you said about me. In Drake’s words, I’m ‘_different’_.” Damian shook his head in an attempt to gain some kind of clarity. It didn’t work. “Though I have to say forcing Father to have a vacation was a nice touch.”

Dick snorted, “Even on vacation, he’s going to find a way to bury himself in work. It’ll be a boys’ weekend.”

“Oh, yeah. That’s exactly what I need; a few weeks with you three.”

“Oh _ha-ha_. We’re trying to help, smartass.”

“I know you are.” Damian tried to get off the bed, but noticed just how much effort he was exerting. He started to wonder if he really was getting sick. “I want to go patrolling. Do you want to come?”

“Do you really think that’s a good idea?”

“Probably not, but I don’t think I’ve ever missed a day. Last night had to be the first.” Damian stretched, “So?”

Dick rolled his eyes, “First, you gotta do a few things for me.”

“I have the right to refuse any and all requests.”

“Number one: Eat something. Pancakes, cereal, or something. Just eat.” Damian nodded and looked through the drawers. He picked out a simple t-shirt and smelled it before putting it on. “Number two: Shower while your uniform gets cleaned. I’m surprised you can sneak in anywhere; your smell should give you away long before you get the upper hand.” Damian put up the middle finger, but did not outright refuse. Dick continued, “Number three: we are going to play it safe. We’re not going to do anything crazy, just a few rounds then come right back and rest.”

“That’s stupid.”

“You refuse?” Damian grumbled, yet there was still no verbal refusal. “Last one, okay?”

Dick turned away as Damian put on some different pants, “Better make it good.”

“I get to ask questions.”

“I have the right to refuse any I deem inappropriate.”

“Do we have a deal?”

Damian walked over to the door and motioned for Dick to follow, “Let’s just go already. We’ll hopefully leave in an hour and a half.” Dick smiled and messed with Damian’s hair as he passed him by, “Hey!”

“Don’t forget to call Jon!”

“How did you-”

“You had him pulled up on your phone when we found you.” Damian frowned and Dick waved his hand dismissively, “It’s cute.”

“Cute?”

“Yeah, that you have a genuine friend. You and Jon are just as funny to me as Clarke and Bruce, but you work just as well.” Dick shrugged, “You’ve got his back and, by the looks of it, he’s always got yours. We even have him in a group chat.”

“Wait. A group chat?”

“Hm? What group chat?” Damian punched his arm but Dick laughed it off. Dick hummed as they made their way down the corridor, “When’s the last time we went on patrol together? Just the two of us?”

Damian shrugged, “A while.”

“This should be fun, then. Nightwing and Robin out and about, kicking ass and taking names. Should be good.” Damian shook his head, but still smiled at the thought.

The rest of the day was a blur, which only proved Dick’s suspicions. Damian was frustrated at the thought of being sick, but was more so frustrated at his lack of energy. It was harder to move, harder to breathe; it was just all around easier to just rest at home. Alfred insisted, Bruce insisted, hell even Jason insisted. As he sat on the couch in the den and Ace’s head on his lap almost persuaded him to stay in, like the dog was in on it with the human family members. Even Jon seemed to notice his difference, but at Damian was used to his line of questioning.

Getting into his suit took a minute longer than normal, significant in his line of work. He stretched under Nightwing’s watchful eye, no doubt looking for any excuse to keep him inside. Robin practically pushed him out onto the field. Running through alleyways, jumping from roof to roof, it was all unusually exhausting. Robin and Nightwing took a few breaks, despite Robin’s insistence to keep going. Nightwing was too vigilant, even if Robin put on a show he was bound to notice slips.

“I can keep going.”

“Yeah, right. You look like you’re about to pass out.” Nightwing played with his staff as Robin sat on a nearby ledge, “Fourth question-” Robin groaned but Nightwing just chuckled, “this’ll be your first real break, right?”

“I suppose.”

“What do you want to do?”

Robin looked up at the sky and noted how dull and dark it was. The city was too bright at night to see anything interesting, “I don’t particularly care.”

“C’mon. You gotta have _something_. Travel? Theme parks?”

“You say that as if I’m twelve.”

“Oh crap, you’re right. What are you now? Twelve and a half?” Robin glared at the first boy wonder and Nightwing smirked, “Anything?”

“Not really.”

“Hobbies?”

“Outside of the suit? Not really.”

“Not one?”

“I don’t exactly have a lot of time between fighting, investigations, the occasional rescue mission for you or Jason-”

“Alright. Alright. Low blow.” Robin rolled his eyes and scanned the area as Nightwing did the same, “What do you think he’s gonna do?”

“Father?”

“Yeah. Do you think-”

“He’ll do something that still allows him to host, but still serene enough to keep us four busy.”

“Like?”

“A trip. Maybe a-” He was interrupted by Nightwing placing a hand over his mouth.

“Hey, we got something here. Looks like two muggers and a female victim.” Robin trudged over and looked down, “I can take them. You secure the woman.”

“I can do it.”

“No, you can’t. Stop pushing yourself or you might be too sick to come with us.” Nightwing didn’t even give Robin a chance to fight the call before leaping off the roof. His flair shined through the darkness as much as the glare did from the knives the muggers held. Robin couldn’t bring himself to chastise him, so he simply jumped down and guarded the victim.

He snatched her purse from one of the attackers and shoved it into her arms, “There’s a police station two blocks down. Don’t stop running. Bring them back here.” The woman didn’t hesitate as bolted out of the alleyway. Robin heard one last grunt behind him before he looked back to see Nightwing tying the hands of the attackers. “Ready?”

“Yeah, let’s keep going. Only a few more blocks.”

“Until?”

“Until we call it a night.”

“It’s still early.”

“Yeah, but it’s quiet and you’re getting slower as the night goes on. Let’s leave the rest to the other two. They need to get off their butts anyway.”

“I can do it.”

“No, you can’t. We said we’d come back early. You agreed.” Robin grumbled as both made their way back up to the roofs and continued forward. “Fifth question-”

Robin skidded to a stop, “Enough with the questions!”

“Do you ever hope for anything romantic?”

Robin nearly gagged, “Now why would I do that?”

“You’re fifteen-”

“Oh, so you **do** know my age. You flatter me. Really.”

“Don’t you ever – I don’t know. Want to meet someone?”

“I’ll tell you what I told father; this endeavor of ours is a lonely one. I’m not interested in some kind of temporary primal release like the rest of you.”

“What about me and Starfire?”

“Starfire is a capable warrior and leader. I have no doubts she can take care of herself.”

“So you’re worried about their safety.”

“More-so their ability to keep up, but yes. I can’t have a liability hanging over my head. This family is enough of a liability as it is.”

Nightwing hummed, “So never? You’ll just be alone for the rest of your life?”

“Counter-question: When’d you get so interested in this?”

Nightwing’s teasing tone put Robin on edge, “I just realized that you’re getting to that age-”

“I’m stopping you right there.”

“So, I’m interested in your personal life. Sue me. Normal kids your age would at least start showing _some_ kind of interest in dating.”

“Maybe I don’t have those interests.”

“Maybe, but will you at least promise me something?”

“Depends on the promise.”

Nightwing thought over his words carefully, “On this trip, we’re going to stay away from all of,” Nightwing motioned to his mask and everything around them, “_this_. Try and just act like a normal kid, okay? Make some new friends. Meet a girl – or a guy! No judgement. Just be a kid, you know?”

Robin opened his mouth to say something but just shook his head, “This is Father’s request, isn’t it?”

Nightwing smiled, “**He** wanted you to stay away from being Robin. **I’m** asking you to be a kid.”

Robin looked around before moving to the next building, “Why are you all so concerned?”

“You’re acting different. You’re more tired, you’re not eating right, you seem numb, you’re becoming more and more detached from everyone-”

“Maybe I’m just more efficient.”

“Or you’re becoming jaded.”

“Don’t we all get a bit jaded in our field?”

“Yeah, but that still doesn’t mean we should ignore it.” Nightwing leapt to the next rooftop and looked around the area one last time. “Let’s go get the others. C’mon.”

“I’m fin-”

Nightwing whipped around and wagged a finger in his face, “Hey! You agreed!” Robin’s shoulders fell but he complied. Nightwing wasn’t wrong, his body felt like it was stuck in the process of shutting down; his senses were inhibited to a degree, his mobility was reduce significantly, he didn’t even feel stable despite having both feet on the ground. “Robin?”

“What?”

“You spaced out there for a second, you okay?”

“Let’s just go already.”

Nightwing nodded, “Go on ahead. I’ll follow you.”

Robin pressed forward and his thoughts circled back to Nightwing’s questions. ‘_Do you ever hope for anything romantic?_’ Romance was never on the table for him. Fleeting feelings were always subdued by his own logic, though there was never any worry as they were few and far in between. Image and beauty never were an issue or a weakness; he’s worked with women who wore costumes that leave nothing to the imagination. In all honesty, the women in his life that have kept his attention were the ones who not only showed capability but also saw him as an equal. His teammates, his siblings, his father’s current affair; they were only women he tolerated and respected – to varying degrees.

Getting back home was a bit of a struggle but convincing the other two to pick up the slack was another battle within itself. Jason bitched and moaned while Tim struggled to get his latest fix of expresso while changing into his uniform. As much as they complained, it was mainly aimed at Dick. They left Damian to his own devices as he got comfortable. It wasn’t ideal, but he had to admit the blankets and book Alfred left him were lulling him to sleep. Tidus curling up by his feet was the final straw, despite the warmth of the body not registering he was found dead to the world with his dog.

In the days leading up to the vacation, Bruce gave no indication of what they would do. Who they would see. Nothing. It was becoming a bit of a game among the four to find clues or plans. Whatever they could use; they compiled the information together. They figured they would be going on a trip; that much is certain. Where and how were the next two clues to figure out.

Bruce knew of their little investigation and was, much to his sons’ annoyance, amused. Damian was the closest to guessing ‘how’. “A cruise, right? That’s the only place I can think of that’s enough of a ‘vacation’ plan without straying too far from work. You can still host and negotiate with clients while interacting with us and other guests.”

Bruce drank the last bit of his coffee before nodding, “Good theory.”

“So I’m right?”

“You’ll see.”

“There’s only five more days until the trip-”

“And I’ll tell you in three.”

Damian glared at Bruce and pointed at him, “Now I see where they get it from.”

“Where who gets what from?”

“Jason and Dick. Where they get that annoying snarky arrogance. It’s straight from you.”

“It’s more of a prerequisite for our family, not an inherited trait.” Bruce looked at his watch before walking to his office door, “Three days. You guys figure it out and I’ll give you guys all the privacy you want.”

“And here I was hoping for a father-son weekend.”

Bruce froze before looking back at Damian, “Really?”

Damian rolled his eyes before pushing away from the desk, “Father, I rarely see you at home. I don’t exactly have my hopes up for ‘_bonding time_’ with you.” Bruce frowned but Damian shrugged it off, “I’m used to it.”

“Damian, I’m-”

“You have a meeting in seven minutes. If you leave now, you’ll just make it.”

Bruce looked at his clock and clicked his tongue when he realized Damian was right. Bruce opened the door and rushed out, leaving Damian to battle the tension left with the growing silence of the room. The ambiance of the air conditioning combined with the running cars outside gave him an odd sense of security. He allowed his mind to wander as he relaxed. The computer wasn’t filled with notifications for once and people weren’t buzzing around the door making him even more tired. The longer he stayed the heavier his body felt whenever he did anything.

Alfred continued to watch over him per Dick’s request, but physically his body showed no alarming changes. Damian hated the whispers and secret discussions his family held around him, but what was worse was the belief that something was wrong with him or that it was “_getting worse_”. At this point he wasn’t in the mood to argue. It became easier and easier to just get into a routine that didn’t involve being Robin; not that he was necessary. His father and brothers came back every night with less and less to report. Tim figured it was because all five of the heroes were seen patrolling and criminals were laying low to avoid confrontation. Fighting Batman was hard enough, but Nightwing, Red Hood, Red Robin, and Robin? Damian didn’t blame them.

Damian went over to the open computer and opened up the laptop. Meetings and other scheduled events were color coded, but at the beginning of next week the amount of planned events dropped significantly. There were still meetings scheduled, just as he figured, but there were more breaks in between the appointments. He looked through the schedule for any other clues before stopping on one of the days in the last half of the trip. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary but something told him something was missing on the calendar. He thought long and hard; was it a birthday? Anniversary?

A knock on the door kept him from getting any closer. “Bruce said you’d be here.” Damian looked up at Tim who simply held the door open for him. Damian shut down the computer and walked out the door, “Find anything good?”

“Not since you hacked it two days ago.”

Tim smiled, “You think he noticed?”

“Of course. By the way, that ‘_appointment_’ you gave him at noon was a nice touch.”

Tim leaned over and whispered, “I figured if his associates saw an empty space they’d take it. He may be Batman, but he deserves a lunchbreak.”

Damian nudged him and grinned, “So that ‘boy genius’ title isn’t some stupid nickname you gave yourself. You **can** be smart.”

“I **can** also hang you upside-down off the ceiling of the cave.”

“I doubt it, but many have tried; many who were far better fighters than you.”

Tim looked him up and down, “You feeling okay?” Damian nodded and Tim walked in front of him, “Do you want to have a game night or something? Jon could fly by, all of us could get to the game room-”

“What about patrol?”

“City’s been quiet. We can afford it.”

“Quiet always means something suspicious.”

“As far as we can tell, nothings moving along in the underground.”

Damian shook his head, “No, you guys should still go out there.”

“How about this? Me and Dick will go out and if we don’t’ see anything we’ll come back. Fair?”

“Are you guys getting lazy?”

“Eh, we’re starting to get into the vacation mood. Can you blame us? It’s our first real vacation.” As Tim stretched Damian could see that he was playing too much into this lay-back attitude. It wasn’t the vacation, they were keeping an eye on him. “So?”

“If Jon comes, he’s going to want to play Mario Party. He likes playing Luigi.” Tim sent him a big thumbs before continuing down the corridor. “Where are you going?”

“Outside to the car?”

“Then we go down this way. Elevator should take us-”

“Right! Right. My bad.”

Tim walked in the direction Damian was pointing at and Damian frowned, “Are you okay? Maybe you need this vacation more than I do.” Tim didn’t say anything, he just called an elevator and that was that. The night went as planned; Jon was annoying as always, Jason was getting competitive, Dick and Tim came in late, even his father made a rare appearance to check in a play a round after a few minutes of teasing and pleading from the players in the room.

If someone were to take a picture at this moment, it would’ve been the first picture where they would’ve looked normal. No posing, no fancy clothes, no uniforms; just a bunch of guys hanging out. Despite the friendly atmosphere, his mind wandered back to the calendar.

The next few days were focused on figuring it out. Even asking his brothers and father yielded no further clues. The more he stared at the calendar, the more fixated he became but the hazier his head felt. Despite this, he kept asking himself questions trying to uncover anything that would help. It’s not a birthday. Not an anniversary. As far as he knows, no one is expecting any kind of new arrival. No packages. No tests. Still, something was missing. He could feel it.

However, every time he got close a distraction would throw him off. At first he thought nothing of it as his life tending to be chaotic anyway. Soon enough he began noticing a pattern. At first they were little things like noises or his animals derailing his train of thought. The distractions began escalating to his brothers or teammates calling or barging in and dragging him to do some off-handed task. It isn’t just the calendar either, it’s whenever he came close to anything Robin related.

If he was in his normal state of mind, he’d probably be going stir crazy. Yet physically he couldn’t put up a good fight. He struggled but most of time it was easier to do the dull tasks. It was irritating to be put into such a mundane routine, but there wasn’t much he could do. Gotham was getting quieter, there were less and less cases that needed of his family’s attention, and most of the time was spent getting ready for the trip.

“So are you going to tell us?”

“We’re going on a trip.”

“Yeah, but we knew that.”

“And I was planning on a cruise-“

“So I was right!”

“We’re leaving as planned and our first stop is in France. The ship will leave a day after we arrive in the country so it gives us time to look around if we wanted.”

“Where are we landing?”

“Plane stops in Paris.”

“And your appointments?” Damian played with the cat on his lap as he addressed his father, “I saw your calendar. You have appointments.”

Bruce smiled and shook his head, “I think I can afford to have them cancelled.”

“That’s not like you.”

“No it’s not, but are you seriously complaining? You always say he never spends enough time with you.”

Damian tensed and he snapped his head over to Jason, “I do not!”

“Yes you do. You get all pissy and-”

Damian glared at him and whistled, “Ace! Tidus!”

Jason grew wide eyed, “You wouldn’t.”

The dogs’ feet could be heard getting closer before both popped up in the doorway. Damian pointed at Jason and didn’t falter, “Take down.”

“Wait! No! No! No!” Jason suddenly found himself on his back being licked to death while Tidus put his weight on Jason’s chest. Jason groaned and pushed the dogs aside, but they didn’t let up.

Tim chuckled, “Serves you right. You talk too much.”

Jason propped himself on his elbows before pointing at the eldest, “_I_ talk too much? Have you met Dick?”

Bruce rolled his eyes and waved his hand dismissively, “Alright. Alright. Now you know.” The boys spoke amongst themselves as they headed out. Bruce called out to them, “Tim, you stay. I have a job for you.” Tim shrugged off the looks the others gave him but Dick still pushed them out. That didn’t stop them from interrogating him later.

Tim shrugged it off as simple research, but the others knew anything Bruce personally wanted looked into was bound to be interesting. Tim said that they’ve had their eyes on some heroes over in France but any lasting evidence of damage to the city was missing. “I can’t tell if it’s because they don’t have a super villain around or if the super villain just cares _that_ much about Paris.”

“Lucky bastards.”

“What kind of super villain doesn’t take the city down with them?”

“Maybe he has some kind of emotional connection to Paris?”

“Yeah to a house or park maybe, but a whole city? No, if they were legit there’s bound to be some kind of collateral damage.”

“It could be fake. Maybe there isn’t a villain at all?”

“Or maybe we’re going against something entirely new.”

“Like?”

“Magic.” The three turned to Damian who seemed to be just as surprised as they were. The answer just slipped out without much thought but the certainty was undeniable.

Tim quirked his brow, “You sound confident.”

Damian coughed before shrugging, “It’s a guess.”

“Yeah, well we’ve seen magic before and that still leaves damage. Black Adam and Shazam ring a bell?”

“Zatana?”

“Constantine?”

“Raven?”

“I get it! Still, magic comes in a lot of different forms. What if the villain **is** taking down the city but the heroes are the ones fixing it?”

Tim hummed and turned back to his laptop, “That’s actually not a bad theory. Any other guesses?”

Damian hummed before the colors black and red flashed in his mind. The colors left as soon as they came only to be quickly followed by a sharp pain. Damian flinched and held his head. He felt a cold hand on his shoulder and heard Dick’s concerning tone, “Damian? Maybe you should call it a night?”

Damian shoved his hand away, “I’m fine.”

“No, really. You gave me a new perspective. I can take it from here. You look tired-”

“I’m _tired_ of not doing anything! If I can’t patrol I can at least help investigate in my own house!”

The three grew quiet but Tim still stepped aside to allow Damian access. Damian tried walking over to the computer but his body gave out on him. His arms felt too heavy to lift and trudging six feet seemed to be impossible. Dick caught him before he hit the ground, “Damian!”

“Woah! Woah! Dude, what’s up with you?”

“You skipped eating today, didn’t you? I told you have to eat something even if you don’t have an appetite!”

Damian huffed, “I didn’t skip any meals! Just – Just get me to my room.”

“Even sedated he’s making demands.” Jason shrugged off the look Damian was giving him while he threw his arm over his shoulder, “Oh, that’s an ugly look. You really are Bruce’s kid.”

“Shut up.”

“Yeah, yeah. Princess wants to go to sleep.”

“Princess?!”

“Alright, after I put this baby to bed Dick and I will head out. Tim, let us know if you find anything interesting.”

“Got it.”

“I’ll go change.”

Jason grunted as he picked Damian up, “So does baby want a bottle or-”

“I can and will kill you.”

“Oh, yeah. Like **_that_** scares me.” Jason continued to make little comments, but Damian drowned them out. His mind wandered back the red and black patterns, but two days flashed in front of his eyes. Soon enough, he found himself to be the first and only one ready to leave in the manor.

Jason soon ensued in his ritualistic raid of the house, but before he could chastise Jason further he held up a weapon from the deepest corner of Damian’s closet. “Aha! I knew you were in here!”

“Wait, how did that-”

Jason grabbed Damian’s luggage and started to quickly exit the room, “No questions! Just packing!”

Damian couldn’t stop Jason from unceremoniously dropping his luggage down the stairs. “HEY! MY KATANAS ARE IN THERE!”

A quick middle finger was Jason’s response, “Not my problem, Demon!”

“Ahem.” Damian looked over at Alfred standing next to the large pile of luggage. “Shall I start-”

“Car’s out front. I can do it.”

The old man smiled at Bruce’s youngest, “Precisely. Thank you, Master Damian.”

Damian didn’t respond, only choosing to walk to the nearest window and look out. The car was out front in the rain just as he said it would be. His “_guesses_” were becoming more and more accurate as the days went on, but he figured it was due to the fact that he was starting to memorize all the mannerisms and routines within the manor. It was driving him insane; combine it with his physical and mental exhaustion he was dying to leave the manor. Damian frowned and leaned his head against the cool glass, “Just a little longer.”

He pulled his head back and headed to the door. Dick made his way to the main floor with his own bags, “Oh, are you packing the car?”

“I’m packing my bags, you guys are on your own.”

“Aw, come on Damian! You’re not going to-”

“One, I don’t have a favorite. Two, you are all infuriating. Three, you have more bags with you than a pop start would going on the same trip.”

Dick blinked, shocked at the response, but pouted all the same. “So I’m prepared! Sue me!”

Damian shook his head and made his way to Dick and his mountain of luggage. Holding his hand out, Damian motioned for Dick to hand him the carry-on he currently held in his arms.

“Come on, diva. This is a vacation for all of us, Alfred’s on break too. I’ll pack.” Dick hesitantly handed the bag over and half expected it to be flung across the atrium. Instead, Damian adjusted it over his shoulder and grabbed his own suitcase.

Damian shook his head, but relished in the cool breeze and rain hitting his face. Packing was a struggle in normal circumstances; Jason’s antiques combined with the constant whispers behind his back, the sheer volume of things his family decided to bring, and the rain pouring made him want to leave more than ever.

He asked his father for a seat away from the others on the plane and it was granted. Other people were tuned out as he focused on just making it onto the boat. The landing in Paris was supposed to be nothing more than checkpoint, but they could afford the leisure time. While he hasn’t been to the city often, there were places and names that vaguely registered in his brain.

Dick suggested the tourist locations while Tim suggested they just wander. Bruce and Jason chatted in the background and despite the city being so large, few people passed them on the streets. While their unaltered appearance normally called for media contact, today seemed different. Quiet.

It should’ve been calming, being out and about without precautions. For a moment, it was like the environment was forcing Damian to relax, but his gut told him to stay alert. He looked around for anything out of place or suspicious, but in a new country they were the only things that stood out.

Billboards seemed to favor a young model but every time he went to get a better look on the face the monitor would change advertisements. Laughter captured his attention and he noticed a couple walking down from a bridge with ice cream. 

“Oh, where do you think they got it?”

Damian kept his eyes on the two, “It’s for couples though.”

“How can you tell?”

Damian pointed at the ice cream, “The colors coordinate with the each of the women. Girl A’s brown eye color is represented in the chocolate. Girl B’s pink streak is represented in the strawberry.”

“Where does the blueberry come in?”

“The blueberry?” Damian hummed, “Maybe it means something between the two.”

Bruce smiled, “You’re right. Look at their phones; matching blue charms.” Damian didn’t expect the pat on the back his father gave him in passing, but he’d be lying if he said he hated it. Walking across the bridge, he passed by the little cart with a jolly looking man manning the business. Sure enough, couples were scattered around it eating their own custom cones. “Superstition?”

Tim only took a moment and a quick search on his phone to answer Bruce’s question. “The ice cream is supposed to keep them together, so of course it’s popular with young couples.” 

Jason smiled and ran towards the cart, “Let’s see if it’s good though!”

Tim rolled his eyes, “Go on ahead, I’ll get him.”

Dick chuckled as they moved on ahead and nudged Damian, “Besides, I thought we were on this vacation to get away from detective work?”

“Hard to break old habits, isn’t it?” Damian looked around and thought the city seemed peaceful. Odd for a city allegedly cited as a warzone between magical heroes and villains. “You’d think there’d be more involving their heroes.”

“More?”

“Clothing, merchandise - just more.” Damian looked around some more but nothing stood out, “Are they disliked?”

“No, but it’s been weeks since both have been seen. There’s no trace of them or the villain.” Bruce checked his watch, “We can walk around for another hour before we should get going.”

“Really?” The three looked back and watched as the stragglers caught up, “We can’t look around some more? I kind of want to check out if I can get any good parts for my motorcycle.”

“I doubt you’ll find anything, but I’m good with splitting up for the last hour. I want to look around the Louvre.”

Tim looked for Bruce’s approval and for a moment Bruce thought back to when Tim was still in training. Whenever he wanted to do something unconventional he gave Bruce the same look. “This is your vacation. I’m not going to stop you. Let’s meet back at the airport in an hour.”

Jason left before Bruce finished talking and Tim followed soon afterwards. Dick looked around for a moment and shrugged, “Might as well go see some of the tourist traps. I’m going to the Eiffel Tower.”

“How original.”

“Never said it was, but if it’s nice enough I might bring Kory someday.” Damian wasn’t going to talk him out of it. Dick wasn’t the biggest romantic but when he was in the mood he could get cheesy. It was a turn off.

Damian looked to his father and asked, “So where are you heading? I bet the stores sell some fairly nice suits. There’s a fashion empire based here, you could-”

“Where do you want to go?” Damian’s suspicious look made Bruce smirk, “What?”

“You normally go off on your own.”

“Well, this is the first time I don’t have any appointments. It’s about time you and I actually spoke without having to save an abducted kid or negotiate with a mobster.” Bruce smiled at his son but the look he got in return killed his mood, “You’re not happy.”

“Call me doubtful. This isn’t exactly like you – none of this is like you. Everyone has been acting strangely and I’m getting tired of it.”

Bruce’s smile faded and he leaned in close, “We’re worried.”

“I noticed.”

“I guess I shouldn’t have forced you into a change of pace. You hate it.”

“I want to say it’s ‘_different_’ but that word is getting thrown around too often nowadays.”

“Well, when was the last time we spent time together like this?”

“Movie night three years ago right before the Court of Owls incident. It was late and I believe I kept you from an affair with another one of your psychopathic women.”

“Been long enough, then. Let’s wander for a bit. Find something to do. Take things easy for the first time in our lives.” Bruce walked ahead, “Let’s go.”

Damian fought back a smile, “Fine, but if I see something I want you’re buying.”

“You say that as if I don’t already do that.” Damian’s façade did finally break with that comment. Damian’s grin was encouraging enough for Bruce to press forward with small talk. Damian didn’t expect his father to be trying as hard as he was, but he figured he should appreciate it. It wasn’t often Bruce acted as a father, or at least tried to. It was a secret sore spot, but one his father was never around long enough to prod at.

The more they wandered, the more Damian began noticing landmarks. Strange for someone who never really been to the city. “Craving anything sweet? I promise not to tell Alfred.” Following his father’s line of sight, he read the sign of the building across the street.

“Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie?”

“They have great reviews.”

A laugh caught his attention from within the park before Damian could agree. Another sound registered in the back of his head, but he couldn’t figure out what it was. “You go on ahead.”

“Are you sure?”

The step Damian took back was excruciating, but he kept his face neutral. “I’m sure. Get me something savory.” The next step wasn’t any easier. His body felt like lead, “Go, already.”

“Damian, you don’t look-”

“Hurry up. You don’t want the brunch crowd coming in and making the lines any longer. We’ve had a pretty good day so far, don’t push our luck.” As soon as that word slipped past his mouth, the red and black flashed in his mind alongside a migraine unlike any other. He balled his hands into fists but kept a straight face, “Father, surprise me. Get me something good. I’ll find us a spot to eat.”

Bruce wanted to say more but he stepped back, “Alright. I’ll be back.” Damian watched Bruce as he disappeared into the bakery and Damian turned around. The sound returned and he finally recognized it; glass cracking.

Another laugh tugged at his heart strings while the rest of his body failed to comply. He debated whether or not to follow it until a ladybug flew past his face. His instinct was to reach out and touch it but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Instead he followed the insect into the park, but the further he went the worse he felt. The sound of the cracking, while soft, gained more clarity with each step alongside his thoughts. 

It started with the calendar; Damian remembered it was a memorial. He couldn’t remember for who. The sound of another laugh and Damian felt the guilt and pain of loss. He doesn’t remember why. The ladybug flew in close for a moment, landing on right below his right hip before continuing forward. He felt the spot and realized something should’ve been in his pocket. He was grasping at threads, but something in this park was going to make things clear.

“Damian!” He looked back and noticed his father outside the park’s entrance. The instinctive step Damian took towards his father was one of the easiest he’s taken in weeks, “Come on, the hour is almost up!” The ladybug continued deeper in and Damian found himself at a crossroads. He looked to his father once more only to realize he never crossed the entrance. It was as if there was something keeping Bruce out. “Damian?”

Something inside him told him it would be easier. Going back to his father, his brothers, a vacation that promised peace; it’d be the perfect place to restart. On paper, this could be exactly what he needed to fix whatever was wrong with him. On paper, the past few days should’ve been helpful as well. Yet, they weren’t. Despite all their attempts and changes, the comfort was cold and superficial. Still, going back meant losing the small progress he made.

Damian looked his father in the eye and shook his head, “I’m sorry.” He felt like throwing up and he could clearly hear the sound of glass shattering in the back of his mind as he turned away. Another step in the Place des Vosges and the haze surrounding his thoughts slowly disappeared. The calendar date was the first thing that was uncovered; it was a girl’s memorial. She wasn’t related to him, but he got the feeling she was important.

His body began feeling lighter and he quickened his pace as he took the ladybug’s lead. Looking around at the faces in the park brought forth memories he didn’t even know he had. He’s never met these kids, so why does he remember talking to them? Spending time with them?

“Get back here!” Two blonds were running around the park, the boy laughing as he dodged the girl’s attempts to grab him. “Hey!” As they passed Damian, he grabbed a hold of the girl’s arm. “_Excuse you_-”

“Chloe?” He blurted it out before even realizing he recognized her. She looked just as confused as he felt, “Why are you guys here?”

Chloe wiggled her arm out of his grip and straightened out her sweater, “Who are you?”

He looked over to the boy and realized it was his face he’s been seeing on all the billboards, “Adrien?”

“Yes?” Damian’s eyes were drawn to his bare hands, “What is it?”

“Your ring.” Damian pointed at Chloe, “And you’re supposed to have comb.”

Chloe scoffed and pointed back at Damian, “Is this guy delusional?” Adrien simply shrugged in response and Chloe rolled her eyes.

Damian looked around and focused on a boy by a turntable. He couldn’t help but blurt out another name, “Nino!” The boy turned around and waved politely. Closer but he wasn’t at the core of this just yet, “Someone’s still missing.”

“What are you – Ugh! Whatever, I don’t have time for this. Let’s go, Adrien. This guy’s weird.”

Chloe dragged Adrien away, but it gave Damian a second to think. An old man and the memorial girl kept flashing in his mind, but both were too clouded for him to make sense of it all. Finding these kids meant something, it cleared his head. He continued to scan the area, “C’mon. C’mon. Who’s missing?”

“Nino!” A girl ran over to the lone DJ and wrapped her arms around his neck. She pecked his cheek before looking over the turn table.

“Alya!” Damian walked over and tapped her shoulder, “Alya, right?”

Alya blinked but held her hand out, “Yes?”

“Damian.”

“Have we met?”

“I’m not sure myself.” Alya made an odd face which made Damian backtrack a second, “Um, I know you from the – “ He snapped his fingers repeatedly as he dug through the murky memories, “the L-Ladyblog!”

Alya’s demeanor changed and she smiled, “Ah! A man of culture. See Nino, I have fans everywhere.”

“Well look at that, now all four of my closest friends are famous.”

“Four?”

“Yeah! Um; my best friend Adrien, Alya, Chloe, and-”

Alya injected herself with a tone that reminded him of a mother praising her toddler, “_My_ best friend! She’s a designer and she worked with Jagged Stone. Amazing girl.”

“Your best friend?” Blue eyes and pigtails bounced around the old man in his mind and the clarity was slowly improving, “Where is she?”

“She’s right over there.”

She pointed at the carousel at the center of the park and beside it was a small group of girls. The one in the middle with the bright smile was his focus. Blue eyes, pig tails, and the laugh he kept hearing. It was hers. Her name was on the tip of his tongue but he struggled to speak.

He forced himself to try and call out to her, but the sound that came out was strangled and muffled. It was like screaming under water. Flashes of a rainy night and wet railings gave him a sense of despair he hasn’t felt in a long time. Damian tried walking towards her but something kept him from reaching her. Still, the sound of glass cracking was undeniable. He looked around to see if anyone else could hear it, but they seemed to be care-free and oblivious.

Somehow he knew this was too perfect. Then it hit him, “This is a fantasy. This is all a fantasy.” The low crime rates, the changes in his family’s personalities, the peace; none of it was real. The laugh brought his attention back to the girl and tried again. 

The continued pressure made him wonder if it was a mistake to fight for her attention. He couldn’t remember meeting her, or any of these people, yet he got the feeling she didn’t smile like that often. The thought of being trapped in something so fake was concerning, but looking at her smile made him really wonder if ignorance was bliss.

Stepping away from her was easy, physically speaking. Damian could leave her; he had no obligations to this girl. He could leave and figure this out on his own, come back for her later. Emotionally, he couldn’t bring himself to go. Whatever rules this fantasy was binding him by were making it really easy to walk away. But the decision didn’t sit right with him; at least that’s what he told himself. It wasn’t the resurfacing memories of them spending time together, of her smiling at him, or of them talking late at night. It wasn’t the fleeting feelings of warmth he got looking at her or the longing that threatened to overwhelm him. Most of all, it definitely wasn’t the flash of a kiss; a clumsy, tearful, unbelievable kiss.

Damian mumbled to himself, “Just go. Just go. You don’t know her, _just go_.”

“Hey, Damian! Over here!” Alya called him over and Nino just smiled. They had no obligations to him either, but they were pulling him towards the perimeter of the park. Away from her. “Damian, c’mon you should meet everyone!” It would’ve been so easy, just to disappear into the background. She didn’t have to know. She didn’t.

He rubbed the back of his neck and groaned, “Don’t be Dick. Don’t be Tim. Don’t be Jason. Don’t be _stupid_.” He repeated those words like a mantra as he walked towards them. He walked right past them and grabbed a glass water pitcher off the table. “Don’t be stupid, just _go_.” He walked back to whatever invisible barrier was keeping him from approaching her and looked at the pitcher in his hands. The weight and feel of the glass brought back the flash of bottle that slipped through his hands.

Damian’s heart raced as he tried to remember what happened next. He remembered running, he remembered the old man, and he remembered her. He remembered a flash of red and black. Most importantly, he remembered his fear of losing both of them. Damian looked up at the girl and shook his head, “If this is because of Scarecrow, I’m going to kill him.” He stepped back, adjusted his grip on the glass, and grunted as he threw the pitcher near her.

The girl and her friends jumped and looked around as the glass and water splattered at their feet. When her eyes met his he couldn’t breathe. The boat, the games, the friends, the fight, the captain; he remembered all of it. He remembered her. He didn’t even realize he called out her name.

The sound of glass shattering drowned out all other noise.


	23. Anchored

Marinette’s life was great, almost perfect. Her parents loved her unconditionally. Her friends were as loyal as they came. She was creative and kind and tried her very best. The past few weeks had been blissful. Her own personal heaven. So why she so frustrated?

Her party went off without a hitch. She hoped seeing all her friends together would rid the restlessness festering inside, but it brought no such luck. Marinette pushed herself to enjoy the festivities she spent the week planning, but her joy was superficial.

In the back of her mind sat blurred images of places she’d never been and people she’d never known. The faces distorted and hazy within the fog stuck in her brain so much that she began investigating with Alya’s help. Adrien’s schedule was taken down and was instead replaced with a map of vague clues and pictures of the dreams. Alya provided more moral support than actual information, reassuring her that her dreams may just be more intense and interactive. Marinette’s gut told her otherwise, though she wouldn’t say.

Her friends and family murmured behind her back at the peak of her investigation, wondering if she was okay. Saying that she’s changed, different even. Roadblocks surrounded her in the forms of whispers and dead ends, only frustrating her further. She didn’t have enough energy to push through or argue with the facts laid in front of her. The dreams may very well be just that; dreams despite how vivid they were.

She found herself rubbing her eyes often, her vision blurred read through books and webpages. It made her wonder if she needed glasses. Still, all she came up with within the first two weeks was that she was on some kind of cruise ship and the monuments she saw were in Spain. The people were still out of reach. Adrien convinced her to take a break on the third week and focus on something else.

The balloons and blasting were that ‘something else’ but only proved to be a weak distraction. Still, her energy had been higher than it was in recent days and the more distance she put between herself and the investigation the lighter she felt.

Alya came to Marinette’s side before she looked around, “It came out great.”

“I’m so sorry I couldn’t help more-”

“Your mom said you weren’t feeling well again. We weren’t going to make you work while sick.” Alya waved her hand dismissively, “It’s all good.” She looked over Marinette one last time before snapping her fingers, “Oh! I almost forgot!” She led Marinette back to her purse and pulled out a little box. “Here, to wear today.”

Marinette opened the gift to reveal a lovely pair of earrings, “Oh, Alya. I can’t accept this!”

“You have to! They’ll look great with what you’re wearing right now.”

“But I can’t just replace my earrings.”

Alya scrunched up her nose and moved Marinette’s hair out of her way, “But you don’t wear any earrings.” Marinette registered the sensation of Alya rubbing her thumb over her empty earlobe, it made her confused. “You sure you feeling okay?”

Marinette pulled away from Alya’s reach and nodded, “Sorry. It must’ve been a dream thing. I’ll wear them.” Alya didn’t seem entirely convinced but still smiled as Marinette put on the new jewelry. “Look good?”

“Obviously! Now let’s take pictures!”

“How many pictures are you hoping to take?”

“Enough to fill my memory card.”

Marinette rolled her eyes and let herself be lead towards the bigger group. Everything went as expected; Chloe nitpicked little details, Adrien and Luka set up equipment for Kitty Section, Nino kept Alya occupied with photos and blogging, and Kagami was the glue that held any sense of order. Marinette couldn’t have asked for better friends, but a part of her was still upset with herself. She still wasn’t entirely happy; in fact she was lonely. Someone was missing and she couldn’t figure out who. It was a feeling she hasn’t been able to shake for weeks.

Rose took hold of Marinette’s arm and pulled it back, “Marinette!”

“Hey, Rose. What’s-”

“Look!” Rose pointed across the park and a small butterfly came into view. Its patterns were strange and Marinette instinctively shielded the blonde behind her. “What-”

“Get behind me!”

“Why? Do you realize how rare that butterfly is?”

“Huh?” Rose pushed past her and ran over to the insect.

A few others followed suit and awed at its colors. Markov analyzed it before enthusiastically spewing data, “It seems to be a Hypolimnas bolina, otherwise known a Great Eggfly. Incredible! They are normally found in southern Asia and Australia!”

“Oh hey, we learned about this in one of our science classes, didn’t we?” Alix stuck her finger out and Marinette flinched as the insect landed on it. She felt confused as to why she was so tense around it, it confused her more when she stepped away when Kim waved her over. It was tunnel vision, her eyes were trained on the butterfly as it fluttered around her friends. She felt her heart rate increase as shadows crept up the corners of her sight. Marinette struggled to catch her breath as visions of violence and terror flashed before her eyes.

She grabbed for her purse and looked into it, but she doubted her compact or wallet would help her. Marinette looked around for backup she didn’t have before turning back the group empty-handed and alone. Her friends seemed fine, amazed even, but she couldn’t shake this sense of danger.

“Marinette?” Her scream cut through the music as she jumped out of her skin. Adrien quickly grabbed her hand as she flailed. Adrien sent her a small smile before pulling her back onto her feet, “Marinette, you okay?”

“Oh! Oh. Me? Yeah! I’m _fine_.” A forced laugh escaped her, only putting her more on edge for an entirely new reason. “Did you need something, Adrien?” He pointed up at the speakers and she realized what brought him to her side. Their song was playing and other couples were swaying with the music. Adrien just held out his hand and shrugged, “Oh.”

“Wanna dance?” Marinette hesitated for a moment. She looked around for some kind of reassurance and approval. Adrien did the same and asked, “Is there something you’re looking for?”

“Huh? N-No. I don’t even know why I did that.”

“The party isn’t going to fall apart if you have one dance.” Adrien did his best to look reassuring and Marinette forced herself to relax with little success. Marinette took his hand and let herself be pulled in close. She couldn’t help but think that she should be happy, ecstatic even. He held her close and kept a steady grip on her waist as they swayed to the melody, but she felt unengaged. Uncomfortable. She tensed in his hold, but Adrien didn’t seem to notice as they continued to dance.

“Marinette?”

“Yeah?”

“You’ve stepped on my feet twice now.”

“Oh my god!”

She reeled back and Adrien chuckled, “It’s okay! Are you feeling well? Normally you’re a great dancer.” Adrien guided her hands back around his neck and continued to guide her through the motions.

“Your hands are freezing.”

“Sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

“So what’s wrong?”

The sigh that she released carried more weight than either expected, “Oh, I don’t know anymore.”

“Is it the dreams?”

“Who let you-”

“Alya.” Marinette rolled her eyes and Adrien continued to sway with her through the crowd, “You know I worry about you, right?”

“You worry about me?”

“Of course I do.” Marinette smiled at the honesty but when she pulled him into a hug, the warmth she was looking for was absent. Marinette pulled away and looked around, “Everything okay?”

“I just-”

“Adrien! Dude!” The two looked over and Nino waved around a black hat, “C’mere!”

Adrien rolled his eyes, “Want to go see what he’s doing?”

“Always.” The two moved through the crowd and the scene only became weirder. Many of the boys were wearing different colored hats with a table full of cheap wigs and costume jewelry behind them. “What did you-”

“It’s for the pictures! I picked up some props!” He placed the hat on his head and grinned, “Classy, right?” He tipped his own green hat to Adrien, “M’Dude.”

Adrien grinned before tipping his hat back and bowing greatly, “M’Dude.” He turned to Marinette and gave her the same show, “M’Lady.” Nino and Adrien were beside themselves as they continued to practice different greetings with each other. Neither noticed the color leave Marinette’s face.

“What was that?”

Adrien looked back at her confused, “What do you mean?”

“The bowing and the-”

“Oh! Just messing around. Why?” Adrien leaned in a bit and teased her, “Did you like it?”

Marinette shook her head and pushed his nose away with her finger. “Don’t flatter your…” Her words died in her mouth when she noticed Adrien’s confused expression. “… self.”

He rubbed his nose and shrugged, “Whatever you say.” He winked before being waved down by Ivan and Nathaniel, “I’ll be looking forward to another dance though. See ya.”

“Right. See ya.” Her voice was timid as she waved goodbye. She looked at her finger and frowned, “What was that?”

“Marinette!” Alya grabbed her arm, completely derailing that train of thought before spinning her around. “You danced with _Adrien_!”

“Huh?” Alya began pushing her closer to the carousel where some of the other girls were waiting. “Wait a second!”

“No! No! You have to give us all the details!” Alya giggled as she dragged Marinette to the middle of their group of friends, “Oh _girls_!”

“Weren’t you looking at butterflies?!”

“Markov is making sure it didn’t escape an enclosure or something since it’s not from Europe, so we have time.”

“Yeah Marinette, you got really comfortable talking with him that time!”

“He’s a lot more transparent than you think. He’ll ask you out soon enough.”

“Kagami!”

“What? Was that too blunt?”

“Yes!” Kagami shrugged and scooted over, giving Marinette room to sit. “It’s not like that at all.”

“Oh yes it is. Stop doubting his feelings for you!”

Marinette groaned and Alya scrunched up her nose, “You’re not doubting his feelings for you. You doubt your feelings for him.” Marinette’s head shot up while the rest of the girls all gasped, “I’m right, aren’t I?”

“No!”

“Yes I am.”

“Alya-”

“What’d he do? Do we need to kick his butt?”

“What? No! Nothing like that!”

“Then what is it?” The group honed their attention in on her as she wilted under her own uncertainty.

“I don’t know.”

Alya frowned, “It’s the dreams, right? Marinette, those are just dreams!”

“It’s not that!”

“Then what is it?”

“Someone’s just missing and I can’t figure out who!”

Rose looked around and hummed, “It looks like everyone is here though.”

“Well, everyone but Lila.”

“Is she sick again?”

“Possibly.”

“So who else?”

Marinette blew her bangs out of her face, “I have no clue, but…” Marinette frowned and looked around, “I miss him.”

“HIM? What do you mean _him_?”

The girls all leaned in to listen to Marinette’s response only for her to curl into herself. She laid her head against her knees and shook her head, “I don’t know. I don’t even know his name.”

“So you’ve met once upon a dream? How romantic!”

“Did you just make a princess reference?”

“Is that weird?”

“For you, Rose? Not in the slightest.”

Marinette snorted and looked up, “I don’t even remember his name.”

“What’s he look like?”

Marinette laid her cheek back onto her knee as thought. She mumbled, “I think he has green eyes.”

“I’m seeing a pattern already.” Giggles spread through the group and Marinette shook her head.

“Whenever I think about him I think of him in dark clothing.”

“Oh, that’s new. Bad boy?”

“No, no, I don’t think he is. He seems a little lonely sometimes, but – I don’t know.”

“What?”

Marinette looked up at her friends and shrugged, “It was really easy to be around him. He was someone I trusted with my life, I just know it. Whenever he comes up in my dreams, I feel alright.” Her shoulders fell and she groaned, “And he’s in my head.”

“I mean can’t you just draw him and work with that?”

“If I could remember his face that well I might be able to find him.”

“Are we sure he’s real?”

“Hey Alya!” The girls looked up and noticed Nino waving Alya over, “Alya!” Alya looked back at Marinette and she simply shooed her away. Alya shrugged and ran over to the boy while the rest of the group kept their attention trained on Marinette.

Alix pats the girl’s thigh and shrugs, “So now what? I thought you were giving up on the dreams.”

“I should.”

“You’re too stubborn.”

“I know.”

“Well, it’s gotten her this far. That hard head of hers is probably the reason she doesn’t have a concussion yet.”

“Alix!”

“Why are you mad? I’m right!” Marinette playfully pushed Alix off her side and another fit of giggles consumed the group. Logic told her that it was okay, she could let go of the images and of the search. It’d be so easy and her life would be so carefree. Things could be good. Great even.

However, the sound of glass shattering nearby reminded her that she was not so lucky. It resonated in her ears and for a moment all she could hear was ringing. She stared at the pitcher and, for a moment, she left the park. Wind hitting against her face gave her goosebumps as she looked around. There were people she recognized and people she couldn’t quite make out. Alya’s face is what made her turn around initially. As she turned her head she met with the eyes of a boy standing beside her.

His face came into as the environment around her faded away. She found herself in a staring match with the boy who threw the pitcher. He was calling out but his voice never reached her. She was in a vacuum and completely out of breath. It wasn’t until Kagami grabbed her arm that the rest of her sense caught up to her.

“MOVE!”

“Wha-”

The boy took in another deep breath, “Marinette!” Marinette felt like she was being choked. Her heart was crying out to him, begging him to stop. He growled and lunged forward, “Marinet-“ He grunted as Kim tackled him to the ground, “What the- Kim? **_Get off_**!”

Kim’s expression faltered for a moment as the boy called out his name, but he soon went back to restraining him. “Dude, what the heck are you doing? You could’ve hurt somebody!”

“Kim, get off of me!” He struggled a bit before muttering something to himself and shaking his head. “Kim, I’m giving you three seconds! Three!”

“How do you even know my name?” Kim grunted as the boy bucked in his grip, “Hey!”

“Two!”

“Luka, Adrien, help me out here!” The boy suddenly stopped and Kim couldn’t help but frown, “H-Hey! Are you-”

“One!” In a flash, Kim was sliding on his back straight into a nearby table. The boy looked up with a crazed gleam, all focused on her. He took a running start and he was heading straight to her group, straight to her. Marinette didn’t know what to think, but she found herself frozen in place as the girls around her screamed. “Marinette!” He grunted as three more people rammed into him and held him down, “Get off! Adrien! Luka! Kim!” He struggled a bit more before yelling out in frustration when he didn’t make any headway.

Kagami pulled Marinette back and grabbed the nearest stick. “Stand behind me.”

“Wait-”

“Marinette, stand behind me.”

“I said wait!” She pushed past her and ran over to the bundle of boys. “Stop!” She threw herself onto Adrien’s back and pulled, “Get off!”

“What? Marinette?”

“Adrien, _get off_!” He looked back ready to warn her but the desperation was something new and terrifying. He felt his arms go limp and she pushed him away.

“But Marinette-”

“Luka, Kim, get off of him!”

“What?”

“Marinette, he threw glass at you.”

“I SAID GET OFF!” She’s never yelled at them like that. It made everyone around her freeze and the boy used the opportunity to shake out of their grip. He rolled forward and out of reach before turning around. His panting caught her off guard as he regained a bit of his composure. He kept his eyes trained on her and she gulped. She didn’t even notice her hands reaching out to him until Adrien pulled them back.

“Marinette-”

“What? No-” Adrien pulled her back and she found herself struggling to fight back, “Adrien!”

“Hey! Wait a second!”

Kim stood between the two and held out his hand, “Hey!”

“Marinette!”

“Adrien! No!” She felt like she was pushing against weight as she kicked and bucked his grip. “Let me go!”

“Put her down!”

Kagami ran over to Kim’s side and held her stick to his throat, “Step back.”

The boy pondered his next move with a strained look on his face, “Kim, Kagami, please-”

“How do you know our names?”

Adrien’s voice sounded shrill over Kagami’s shoulder, “Marinette! Stop!” Kagami stumbled forward as Marinette pushed past her and stood between the three.

“Marinette!”

“Please.” She was so out of breath the plea came out as a whisper, “Please, give us a second.” She swayed a bit, her footing unsteady, but her determination was firm. “Please.” Kagami looked between the two and noticed how his eyes never left her. There was no malice or bad intent, it was different. Longing. Sad even.

Kagami lowered her weapon and stepped back, Kim soon following suit. Marinette turned back and cautiously stood in front of him. The two simply looked at each other, taking in each other’s features and clothing. Fog dissipated in her head as visions of him in a wooden den popped in her head. She remembered those dreams, they always made her calmer. There was always another person there, but that face was still hidden.

Her hand shook as she gathered the courage to touch him. His eyes never left hers as she brought her hands up to his cheek. The second her fingertip made contact with his skin her arm reeled back. She sucked air through her teeth and looked at her fingers. It was a warmth she nearly forgot existed. She bit her lip as she reached back up. She forced herself to press her hand against his cheek and both flinched at heat yet neither moved away.

She felt her eyes watering and she opened her mouth only for nothing to come out. Her other hand was brought up to his face and she smiled at the way she framed it. She pushed through the cottonmouth and blurted out, “Why do I get the feeling that I’ve done this before?”

A smile threatened to spread across his face as he shook his head, “You probably have.”

She pulled him close as she felt the weight of his arms around her body like a large blanket. She squeezed him and the breath she let out was shaky. The warmth threatened to melt her away completely, yet it brought only relief. She gripped onto his clothing for dear life and buried her face in his shoulder. His smell became a safe haven despite the urge to cry threatening to overtake her.

She sniffed and pulled back, wiping her nose on her sleeve as she looked up to him. Marinette bit her lip and awkwardly smoothed out the wrinkles in his shirt. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“No, this looks expensive-”

“Trust me.” He placed a hand over hers, “It’s fine.” Marinette brought her attention back to the wrinkles covering his otherwise pristine shirt before leaning her forehead against his chest. “Marinette?”

“Hm?”

“Look around.” She obeyed and it took her a moment before she realized why he asked her to do it. The empty park brought a stillness that she only ever saw in pictures. She completely turned around and scanned the area, but any trace of her friends disappeared.

“What?” She kept looking around and her voice became shrill, “Where did they go? What’s happening?”

“I’m not sure.”

“What do you mean you’re not sure?”

“Look, I’m just as confused as you are Marinette.”

“But-” He gently shushed her and pet her hair. Her laugh followed her confusion, “What am I? A cat or something?”

“It kept you from spazzing out, didn’t it?”

“I don’t ‘spazz out’! Who said I ‘spazz out’?”

“You’re doing it right now.”

“Well, my friends are gone and a boy I’ve never met before is making me _feel things_ I didn’t think were possible so **_excuse me_** for ‘spazzing out’!” As soon as the words left her mouth she felt her skin burn up from her neck and she nearly tripped over herself as she scurried away from the boy. She flinched as she placed her hands over her cheeks, the heat coming off her skin a clear indication of the bright red hue most likely covering her face. “I just said that out loud.”

While his brow quirked, he seemed anything but confused. In fact, he seemed almost amused. “You did.”

“Is there any way you can pretend that I didn’t do that?”

“I mean in this place, I think anything is possible but I’d rather not.”

She opened her mouth to give a retort before catching onto his choice of words, “This place?”

He motioned to the world around her and nodded, “This place.”

“Paris?”

“Paris. Gotham. Switzerland if we want it to be.”

“I’m not following.”

He hummed as he walked around before looking towards the gates and frowning, “I can’t explain how I know how but this is all a fantasy.”

“A fantasy? What do you-”

“Have you been seeing things? Scenes play out in your head but they’re hazy. Almost buried. Like there’s a fog you can’t clear but you know that something’s there, so it’s hard.” Her expression must’ve been enough of an answer because he continued, “Do you ever find it hard to move? Like you’re trying to run underwater with lead legs?”

“Yes, but it’s only when I don’t take suggestions to take things easier-”

“Or when you try to do something that isn’t ‘easy’.” She nodded and he continued, “Have you ever felt numb and then all of a sudden someone is there like magic to cheer you up?”

“Kind of? I get overwhelmed a lot, but when that happens my friends or family are there to help. I only really get numb when it’s too much.” She wondered how she was able to be so open with this boy, but then again her classmates disappeared. What did she have to lose?

“Sure, but I mean they are _insistent_ on helping and are there just as things get hard. Almost as though the universe is trying everything in its power to keep you from being upset so instead of helping it leaves you almost weary.” Part of her brain wanted to believe that’s just what friends are for but that gut feeling told her he was onto something. 

Marinette looked down at her feet and sighed, “So let’s say we are in a fantasy, why are we here? Why do I know you? Why do you know my name?”

“I remembered it. Do you remember mine?”

“No.”

She watched as any semblance of emotion was pushed deep down as he simply stated, “Damian.”

She panicked and ran back to his side, “B-But I remember other things!” She grabbed his hand and did her best to sound convincing, “I remember that room we always talked in! With the bar and that other guy and-”

“Wait! You remember Staller?”

“Is that his name?”

“Old man, right? Dark skin, no glasses but a gray beard.”

“Y-Yes?”

“Do you remember who the memorial is for?”

“The what?”

“The memorial! That’s the only piece I can’t figure out.” Damian huffed and sat on a nearby bench, “I know that has something to do with this.”

She sat down next to him and squeezed his shoulder. He looked up at her and she smiled, “Let’s just start filling in the gaps. Start from the beginning.”

“Beginning of what? I don’t even know where that is.”

She looked around for a moment before grabbing a stick and drawing a long line. “Then let’s just talk about what we see and figure out a timeline. If this is a fantasy I doubt any pictures or call logs would be reliable so we’re just going to have to go based on our dreams.”

“Memories.” She looked back and he repeated himself adamantly, “They’re memories. I don’t think I would’ve remembered everyone’s names otherwise.” She recognized the fragility masked by his commanding voice and simply nodded before handing him a stick.

“You seem to remember more than I do. You start first.”

He nodded before taking the stick out of her hand and looking back at her, “Everything I’ve ever seen seemed to be on a ship. Safe to say that’s the start?”

“That’s our best guess.”

“Then that’s where we start.” He drew a small dash at the start with the word ‘Boarding’ on top. He thought for a moment before drawing another small dash next to it and writing “Unpacking” over top. “My family and I would’ve unpacked soon after boarding.”

“I think I left my room and explored after boarding.”

“Then we’ll put that underneath.” Underneath the dash he started writing, ‘D – Unpacked. M – Explored.’ He looked at it for a second before looking back at her, “Get another stick. Something tells me this is going to be a lot.”

She looked around before picking one up by a tree and extending the line to nearly halfway across the park. Their back and forth brought different memories to light. Their first meal together came after their first fight but before a grand ceremony. Damian remembered Marinette being thrown off a ship, but Marinette remembered being thrown into a pool. There was a dance together that happened before another big fight but after their first kiss. Both felt flustered from that point onward as they discussed more details of their relationship. They docked at some point, but they were not together at the time putting it before the kiss. There was another attack on the ship, but that was before the memorial.

The memorial taunted them at the very end of the line. Its empty description left them more frustrated than the blanks left scattered around the timeline. Marinette glared at it before looking back at the ‘Boarding’, “I met Staller while exploring.”

“Yes?”

“And you knew Staller before that?”

“It seems so.”

“So that room we always went to, was that his office?”

“I believe it was his den. What about it?”

“There was something in there that I always looked at.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know. Just something.” She pointed at the end of the timeline, “It has to do with that.” 

He looked over to the blank description and frowned, “It can’t be for anyone we’ve met before so we have to use deduction.”

“Deduction?”

He nodded and looked around before jumping over the line and writing on the ground, “Deduction. We need to cross-reference people we know and figure out who we haven’t seen.”

Marinette took a step back before jumping over the timeline, careful not to mess up the words. She let out a high pitched squeal as she nearly toppled over. She closed her eyes to brace her face for impact, but instead felt herself being pulled to her feet. She peaked and saw Damian holding her arm, not even looking at her as he continued writing down names. She planted her feet securely on the ground and took back her arm, “Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it. Now start writing names of people you remember from the ship. We’ll cross out people we’ve met and whoever’s not crossed out is the person who died.”

“But how do you know we know their name? For all I know this is a fever dream and I’m in my bed!” The look he gave her could only be described as tired and close to defeat. She felt like she just kicked a dog and she looked to the ground, “Sorry, I just-”

“I’m not sure about any of this, to be honest. I’m just trying to figure it out. If this doesn’t work then we’ll have to keep trying.” He looked back to the ground and wrote down his brothers’ names. He sighed, “But I’m sure I know you. These scenes are memories and those memories tell the story of how we got here.” Marinette’s trepidation was clear on her face but his tone seemed so desperate. He half expected her to simply watch, instead she started writing a list of her own starting with her friends.

“Okay, we know my friends are okay. You remember them.”

“Do you remember my brothers?”

“Brothers?”

Damian reached into his pocket only to feel something poke him, “What the hell?”

“What?”

He reached back in and pulled out his phone, “Nothing. Here, that’s Jason, Dick, and Tim. My father is Bruce.” Damian handed her the phone and waited for her response. Marinette looked at the screen before looking up at Damian, “What?”

“Your father seems familiar.”

“From the memories?”

“No. Not like that. It’s – OH MY – HE’S BRUCE WAYNE!”

Damian flinched as he covered his ears, “Yes and take care not to shatter my eardrums.”

“No! You don’t understand! I remember why we were on the boat!” Damian uncovered his ear and Marinette zoomed in on his father, “Your father was holding a contest and my class _won_! We were on the ship as a reward!” She spun on her heel and ran to the very beginning of the line. She brought it backwards and made a new dash. “I wrote in. I won.”

“Why’d you write in? Was it just for the reward?”

“No! I – I –“ She paused and looked at the dash, “I don’t know.” She rubbed her temples and growled, “C’mon Marinette, think.” Damian continued writing down names and listened to Marinette mumble to herself.

“Forcing it isn’t going to help.”

“Hush, I’m thinking.” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, “I remember speaking with someone before I sent it in.”

“About?”

She opened her eyes and her shoulders fell, “About taking a break.”

Damian stopped writing and tensed, “A break?”

“Yeah. I – I was so tired and I remember just wanting to quit something and –“ She looked over at the list of names before walking over to it. “Lila.”

Damian tensed, “Why do I hate that name?”

“Quick, do you remember seeing a girl with tan skin, blunt bangs, usually kept two pieces of hair in the front –”

Damian shook his head, “No.”

“Me either, but knowing her she would’ve never missed a chance to go on a trip like this.” She circled Lila’s name and frowned, “But she’s definitely not dead.”

“So how does she play into this?”

“I don’t know yet.” She tapped her stick twice before looking to Damian, “What do you remember before boarding?”

“Before?” Damian looked back to the timeline and stepped over the line and began writing, “I think I was in a similar position.”

“Meaning?”

He frowned and left the beginning of the timeline nameless, “Everyone kept telling me I was acting differently. I was just numb for a while. I wanted to quit.”

“Quit what?” He finished writing and Marinette looked over to try and decipher his description. “Robin?”

Damian furrowed his brows, “I needed a break too. I just needed to get away.”

Marinette looked at her list and pursed her lips, “Staller needed that too, didn’t he?”

“What do you mean?”

“Every time I remember him I can’t help but think of him as sad.” She underlined his name and frowned, “The memorial has to do with him, doesn’t it?”

Damian looked at the blank spaces and asked, “What did you want to quit Marinette?”

“Hm? I don’t know. Do you know if Staller lost anyone? A wife?”

“I don’t think it’s a wife.” Both looked at the information in front of them and groaned. “C’mon. We’re missing three key pieces of information here.”

“Wait, I know one is who the memorial is for. What’s the other two?”

“One, how Lila fits into all of this. Two, what you wanted to quit.”

“Why does that matter?”

“It might help us fill these gaps.”

Marinette blew her bangs out of her face and muttered to herself, “If we’re lucky.”

The red and black flashed back into his head, “Wait, what’d you just say?”

Marinette rolled her eyes and repeated herself, “If we’re lucky, it might help fill the gaps.”

“Luck! That’s right! I knew I was forgetting something!” Damian started furiously writing in some of the blank spaces while Marinette watched him.

“Well, do you want to clue me in?”

Despite the clouds covering the sun, a light went off in his head. “Ladybug.”

“What about ladybugs?”

“No! You were the superhero Ladybug!” He pulled out his phone and showed her some pictures from the earlier profile, “You fought against Hawkmoth with Cat Noir and –“

“Wait! Cat Noir? You know about Cat Noir?”

Damian looked at her confused, “Yes? He fought alongside you.”

“What are you talking about? Cat Noir is someone I saw in my dreams.”

“He’s real and you fought alongside him.”

She shook her head and pushed his phone away, “Now I know you’re crazy. I’m not a hero.”

“You wanted to quit being Ladybug, that’s why you went on the trip! I remember now, you wrote in for a vacation.”

“Damian, you’re not making any sense –”

“It does! Look, this is when we got off our first stop in Spain and I remember there being a fight. Then here! Here’s when someone on the ship was Akumatized. Then –”

The distant sound of glass cracking brought a sense of dread she wasn’t prepared for, “Damian, I am not a superhero!”

“But you are! You – You –” He reached into his pocket and felt something sharp prick his finger. He looked towards the end of the timeline and gulped, “You jumped off the ship.”

“What?”

Despite feeling the earrings in his pocket he was unable to grasp them. He ran over to the blank space towards the end and licked his lips, “We both did. Because of Staller.”

The wind picked up around them and Marinette shook her head, “Damian, you’re scaring me.”

“No! Look, the timeline makes sense now. We both met because we were burnt out. We met on the ship and bonded with the captain. He’s the one who told us to stay together. All these blank spaces are when we fought against people. Here we’re investigating the ship and Lila – She was a prime suspect and –“

The cracking only got louder for her but Damian didn’t even seem to notice, “Damian –”

“Then the memorial came around and we went to cheer up Staller. That’s when he-“

“STOP IT ALREADY!” Startled by the outburst he dropped his stick. He looked up at Marinette and she looked as though she was trying to keep her head from exploding. Her breathing was labored as she rambled, “STOP SAYING I’M A SUPERHERO! STOP TELLING ME CAT NOIR IS REAL! AND STOP TRYING TO PUSH THIS CRAZY STORY!”

Damian frowned and yelled back, “It’s not _crazy_! This is our story and we’re in a fantasy world!”

“Then let me _stay here_!”

He took a deep breath, “WHY?” It took him a moment to realize that she was reaching her own block. While his was more physically taxing, hers must be mentally taxing. She needed to push past the block to help completely shatter this place’s hold on her. He looked back at the timeline and completed his last sentence before getting up. “I’m sorry Marinette but I’m not letting Hawkmoth win you over.” Careful not disturb the timeline, he went to her side and pulled her to the end of the timeline.

“Hey –”

“Read it.”

She closed her eyes and turned away, “I don’t want to.” Her voice was strained as she bore the brunt of audio torture.

“Marinette –”

“I said no!”

“And I’m telling you to look!”

“No!”

“Don’t you want to get back to your friends? Your family? And what about Cat Noir? Are you really going to leave him like that?”

Her struggling stopped for a moment and she shook her head, “No! No. I don’t want to! I don’t want to! I don’t –“ 

The scene brought him back to the infirmary and he remembered why he had her miraculous in the first place. He sympathized with her but couldn’t risk it, “I’m sorry but this time you’re going to have to take it.” In his defense, he knew it was harsh. Maneuvering her in his arms to a position where she was forced to face the last dash on the timeline wasn’t easy. Her struggling and grunts made him guilty, but he couldn’t risk losing her to this trap. He pulled on the arm he held behind her back and commanded her, “Look at it.” When she didn’t he raised his voice, “Marinette, look at it!” She whimpered and he had to tighten his grip lest he let her go completely. He shook her one last time, “LOOK!” Her body went limp for a moment and he wondered if she opened her eyes at all. His answer came when she collapsed onto her knees. “Marinette?” She didn’t even register him. “Marinette, answer me.” Again, no indication she heard him at all. He let her go and sighed as he sat on the ground behind her.

After a moment of silence, he gently pulled her back into his hold, having her back rest against his chest and wrapping his arms around her waist. He rested his chin on her head and looked at the Memorial section. The word ‘suicide’ haunted them. He was careful to soften his tone as he addressed her, “We have to look at everything. Even the bad stuff.”

She relaxed back into his chest and placed her hands over his, “There’s so much bad stuff.”

“I know.”

“It’s not fair.”

“I know.”

“We’re _kids_. The only thing I should be worried about is school and my friends not –“ She gestured to the timeline, “This!” She sniffed and asked, “How did this happen?”

“Do you want me to read the timeline or are you asking for wisdom?”

“Wisdom if you have it.”

His grip tightened and he mumbled bitterly, “I don’t.” He tapped his finger against her torso as he continued, “When I was younger I thought I had all the answers or that I was the answer. I knew how to answer every question, plan for every situation –”

“And now?”

“You showed up and things went downhill from there.”

She scoffed but appreciated the attempt at making her laugh. She patted his hand, “I told you before we’re not supposed to have all the answers.”

“I am supposed to have all the answers. I was trained from birth. First by my grandfather, then my father, and now the Titans. I’m a perfect leader and weapon. Able to neutralize any target and get out of any situation.” He hummed and Marinette felt the soft vibrations through her hair, “I was supposed to lead the ‘New World’. Hell, I was forced to climb a mountain once. I fell. Broke my wrists. I still reached the top.”

“That must’ve been hard.”

“It was expected of me. Those expectations changed once Father took me in but the weight of them only grew. I had to learn to keep my center. It took me years of being Robin, living with monks, and joining the Titans before I thought I found it. Now? I just feel overwhelmed. Like I’m spiraling and trapped in the suit. It used to be my greatest role. It gave me the chance to be who I was bred to be. I realize now that everything about my life, my friends, and my work revolves around Robin.”

“And what about Damian?”

“I don’t really know Damian. I think a part of me hoped to figure it out on this trip.” Marinette bit her lip as she thought about his situation. While similar to her own, she was able to leave at any given time. He was never given a choice. He was told to be a fighter from day one. Even if he did choose to leave the mantle, where would it leave him? She had a family who knew nothing and expected nothing. He had no such luxury. “I wanted to feel like a kid. Now I don’t even feel like a hero if I’m honest.”

Marinette thought about her next words carefully as she formed a response. She squeezed his hand and looked at the timeline, “Kids aren’t meant to fight like this, but I guess I understand it.”

“What do you mean?”

“Making kids soldiers only hurts them, but they are the best. Think about it. We’re reckless, impulsive, naïve, but give us something to believe in and we’ll fight for it. We’ll do whatever it takes.”

“Sure, but we’re too young.”

“Yeah we are, but look at us. We’re still trying to get out of here and fight. Our friends are probably trying really hard to help us out too. They shouldn’t have to but they are.” She looked at the different fights across the timeline, “Whether it’s better for themselves or better for everyone depends on their moral compass but they’ll always fight for something better. It’s dangerous. Kids are easily swayed and their values can be tainted but I guess that’s what keeps us going, right? To fight for what’s right so they can have faith.”

“Faith is a belief based on an absence of data. It invites disaster.”

“When you’re at your lowest with nothing to lose, faith is what we have to hold onto. Faith in ourselves, each other, and faith in something bigger. For normal people, that something bigger is us.” She tilted her head back and looked him in the eye as she stated, “It’s not fair we were thrown into this war, but we’re going to put up a good fight. That’s why we can’t just leave it all behind.”

Damian stared at her for a moment before rolling his eyes, “Did you read that in a comic book?”

“_No_.”

“So what are you going to do?”

“Depends on whether or not Robin is going to help me once we get out of here.”

Damian scoffed but was unable to suppress the smile spreading across his face, “You are something else.”

She returned the smile, “If you promise to help me handle being Ladybug, I’ll help you figure out who Damian is.” She held up her pinky and wiggled it, “Deal?” Damian stared at it for a moment before pushing her hand down. She looked confused as he brought his legs back to be on his knees while being careful not to move her. “What?”

He looked down at her and covered her eyes, tilting her head back a bit more. She was pleasantly surprised when his lips found hers. She relaxed after a moment and hummed, “I’m taking that as a yes.”

He uncovered her eyes and she noticed the pink dusted over cheeks. He looked back over to the timeline and she rested against his chest, “Even if we can’t fix everything, we just have to do our best. Work with what we have and make adjustments along the way. I’ll get you a damn therapist if I have to because you need one to deal with Ladybug _and_ Lila.”

“Only if you meet with one first because there is _a lot_ to unpack there.”

He flicked his finger against her head and she stuck out her tongue. “How’s your head feeling?”

“It felt like it was being crushed before. Now that the pressure’s off I’m almost lightheaded.” Despite finding herself overwhelmed often it never gets easier to deal with. She rubbed her head and asked, “Was the shattering loud for you too? Or was that just me?”

“It was loud.”

“It sounded like a bottle – Wait. A bottle. Damian that’s it!” She scrambled to grab a stick and onto her feet, “Bottles!”

“What?”

“The object I always saw! They were bottles! Ships in bottles!”

A switch went off in his head and he turned his attention back to the list of people, “The bottles were made by someone close to Staller.” He quickly grabbed the other stick and jumped over the timeline. Skidding to a stop he started crossing out names as Marinette continued to fill in the last pieces of information in the timeline.

“Staller had a story for each and every one of them. Every time we went to visit him he’d tell us a new one.”

“And that person had a big impact on how he felt at any given time.”

“And if we didn’t meet them then –”

“They were probably the one that died!” Both continued scribbling on the ground before each stopped. One at the memorial and one at a name. The two looked at each other and Damian circled another name.

Marinette wrote down a name above the title and gulped, “Did we just figure it out?”

“I think so.”

She let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding and laughed, “We’re going to be okay. We’re going to be okay.” A warmth passed over her as the sun came back out from behind the clouds. She loved it.

“What do you mean?”

She looked around the park and shook her head, “We’re in a bottle. We’re in one of _her _bottles. But she’s not around so who would this be made for?”

Damian thought for a moment before catching on, “Staller.”

“And in Staller’s fantasy, she’d be the only person he’d want to see! He couldn’t get past the grief so this was his way to cope.” She looked at the timeline one last time before walking right over it, letters and all, to get to Damian. “But we don’t need it anymore. We don’t need a fantasy to get away from our problems or pretend they aren’t real.” She grabbed his hand and squeezed it.

He held on tight and nodded, “We’ve got family, friends, and resources.”

“We don’t need this anymore.”

“Which means it’s time to sober up from this fantasy.” He looked around and started yelling, “You hear that? We don’t need this anymore!”

“These ships aren’t going to sink anytime soon!”

Damian smiled at the metaphor and added, “We’re floating.”

Marinette turned to him and nodded, “We’re floating.”

“About time you figured it out. I was worried for a second.” The turn jumped and looked behind them. The light nearly blinded them as they did their best to try to see who spoke. The two squinted and brought their arms up to their eyes, completely unaware of the environment dissipating around them. They felt as though they were being pulled out of a dream but the two felt a need to discern the identity of the person who spoke.

The world around them started cracking as the bottle fulfilled its duty. Still, they couldn’t keep their eyes off the person standing at the center of the heavenly destruction.

Marinette’s eyes slowly adjusted to the brightness and saw the figure of a woman. She only grew in familiarity as more features came into view. However, it was clothing that solidified her identity. “Damian?”

“I know.”

The woman simply waved as she adjusted the bouquet in her other hand, “Give them hell for my uncle and me.”

The ground beneath them finally gave way and Damian found himself reaching out to her, “WAIT! ANNE!” She didn’t bat an eye as the two were aggressively shoved out of the dream. Only smiling and waving, just like in her picture.


End file.
